Growth of highly oriented CdS_xSe_1-x thin films by laser-induced deposition.

Laser-induced deposition (LIDE) has been used to deposit CdS_xSe _1-x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) films. The sample obtained was very smooth optically; no visible grain boundaries could be observed. The optical transmission curve shows optical interference fringes, which is used to deduce the thickness of the film. An X-ray diffraction scan of the target powder and the film reveals only two peaks at (002) and (004) for the LIDE thin film. It can also be seen that within the experimental accuracy the lattice constant has not been changed. Moreover, even with a factor-of-10 increase in sensitivity, no hint of another peak is present. Hence the LIDE deposited CdS films are highly oriented with the c axis perpendicular to the film surface and are of the same hexagonal lattice structure as the starting material. A Laue diffraction measurement indicated that the samples had a polycrystalline structure in the a,b direction. Hence the CdS film consists of the polycrystalline grains with the c axes all aligned in the same direction.