Analysis of nanocrystalline ZnS thin films by XPS

Nanocrystalline ZnS thin films were synthesized by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) using Zn(O-iPrXan)2 [O-iPrXan = S2COCH(CH3)2] as a single-source precursor compound. The coatings were deposited on silica substrates in N2 atmosphere at temperatures between 200 and 450°C and subsequently characterized by Glancing-Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron (XPS) and X-ray Excited Auger Electron (XE-AES) Spectroscopies. This work is dedicated to the XPS and XE-AES characterization of a representative zinc sulfide thin film. Besides the wide scan spectrum, detailed spectra for the Zn2p3/2, Zn3p, ZnLMM, S2p, O1s and C1s regions and related data are presented and discussed. Both the S/Zn atomic ratio and the evaluation of the Auger parameter point out to the formation of stoichiometric zinc sulfide. Moreover, oxygen and carbon contamination were merely limited to the outermost sample layers.