Preparation of spin coated PbS thin films using bis-tetrahydroquinolinedithiocarbamatolead(II) complex as a single source precursor

Abstract

Recently, the incorporation of single-source molecular precursors in synthetic protocols has been identified as an effective and easy route toward tuning the sought-after properties of thin films. In this work, bis-tetrahydroquinolinedithiocarbamato complex of lead(II) has been used as a single-source molecular precursor to deposit PbS thin films at elevated temperatures. The spin coating method was chosen as a deposition technique to afford PbS thin films. The morphology of the obtained films was observed to be influenced by the variation of temperature. Formations of compact thick and agglomerated spherical granules were observed at a lower temperature whereas elevated temperatures afforded the formation of cubic and multipodal shaped structures. From the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results, the elemental ratio of the finally formed films agree with the PbS composition. X-ray diffraction studies further revealed the formation of the crystalline cubic phase of PbS films with a calculated crystallite size in the range of 50 − 58 nm.

Keywords:

• Lead sulfide
• thin films
• single source precursor
• spin coating
• morphology

Acknowledgements

The award of the National Research Foundation (NRF) through the South African Research Chair initiative (SARChI) (Grant number: 64820) by the Government of South Africa is gratefully acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement.