Effects of temperature and thiiourea on the growth rate of cadmium sulphide thin films designed for effective control of solar radiation in the tropics

Abstract

Cadmium sulphide thin films with potentials for application as solar control coating layers have been grown by chemical bath deposition process using ammonia as a complexing agent and employing direct heating of the substrate and chemical solution. Films were characterized using growth rate. Result shows that the film thickness decreases with increasing substrate temperature; hence an increase in the substrate temperature produces a decrease in deposition rate, whereas the bath temperature increases the film thickness. It was observed that annealing led to improvement in the properties of the films. Result also shows that a rise in substrate temperature implies a longer deposition time for the same thickness. Thin films of CdS on glass substrate, deposited from chemical baths are shown to possess excellent solar control characteristics, comparable to the metallic solar control coatings.