Correlation between structural, morphological and optical properties of Bi₂S₃ thin films deposited by various aqueous and non-aqueous chemical bath deposition methods

Patterning the thin films according to specifications is of utmost importance. Previous studies have revealed that optimizing the various parameters such as thickness, complexing agents, precursors, and morphology to get the thin films according to demand. The current emphasis of this research activity on Bi₂S₃ materials is the improvement in structural and optical properties by chemical bath deposition on one hand, while on the other hand, detailed characterization of the synthesized morphologies is carried out for a better understanding of the features of the said material. Based on the fact that morphological, optical, and structural properties of Bi₂S₃ vary with deposition conditions, the current study focuses on optimum values of different deposition parameters in aqueous and non-aqueous baths with different precursors and complexing agents to vary the deposition environment of the thin films. The effect of complexing agents, i.e., ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and triethanolamine, on controlling the concentration of Bi⁺³ by employing the different precursors was also evaluated. SEM, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV–vis spectroscopy are also used to obtain morphological, structural, and optical information, respectively. For the synthesized samples, an absorption coefficient in the range of 0.16 to 1.3104 (cm⁻¹) was observed with a band gap of 1.22 to 1.24 eV. Results suggest that chemical bath deposition is a good strategy to get compact, uniform, and well-adhered thin films for photovoltaic applications with different morphologies.