A short review on thermal vapor sulfurization of semiconductor thin films for optoelectronic applications

Abstract

Band-gap and electrical engineering of semiconductor thin films as well as their heterostructural integrations are of increasing interest in optoelectronics for photodiodes and energy harvesting. In this short review, we have presented and discussed how semiconductor thin film materials are processed under vaporized sulfur environment at elevated temperatures, i.e., thermal vapor sulfurization (TVS), for advanced optoelectronic applications. Examples of the uses of TVS over a wide range of materials and length scales are also discussed. We conclude that this relatively simple and low-cost processing method, i.e., TVS, although has some remaining issues for practical industrial applications, can have important consequences in feasible explorations of novel opto-electronic materials.