Preparation of manganese sulfide (MnS) thin films by chemical bath deposition: Application of the experimental design methodology

Pure γ-MnS thin films have been deposited on glass slides by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The effect of principal experimental parameters on the film growth has been studied using the experimental design methodology. The factorial design has shown that deposition time, bath temperature and manganese precursor concentration were the main influential parameters. The prepared thin films have been characterized using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and optical absorption spectroscopy. The film produced crystallized in the hexagonal γ-MnS wurtzite phase and presented a preferential orientation in the (002) plane. MnS thin films, in good stoichiometric ratio and uniformly covering the glass surface, consisted of hexagonal or spherical grains. The bandgap energy is found to be in the range of 3.6–3.9 eV.