Influence of substrate temperature on physical properties of (111) oriented CdIn₂S₄ thin films by nebulized spray pyrolysis technique

In this work, we present the substrate temperature influenced change in the structural, optical, morphological, and electrical conductivity properties of CdIn2S4 thin films deposited on amorphous glass substrates by nebulized spray pyrolysis (NSP) technique. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the as-deposited CdIn2S4 thin films had a cubic structure with a preferred orientation along (111) plane. The reduced strain by increasing the substrate temperature from 200 to 350 °C increased the average crystalline size from 17 to 33 nm while the formation of secondary phases such as CdIn2O4 and In2O3 reduced it to 21 nm after the substrate temperature at 450 °C. The energy dispersive analysis by X-ray (EDAX) studies confirmed the presence of Cd, In, and S. The absorption coefficient, direct band gap energy, Urbach energy, skin depth, and extinction coefficient of CdIn2S4 films were analyzed by optical absorption spectra. The better conductivity and mobility noticed at Ts = 350 °C are explained by carrier concentration and crystalline size. Better optical and electrical conductivity behavior of CdIn2S4 thin film sample suggests for effective PEC solar cell fabrication.