Real time monitoring of the deposition mechanism in chemical solution deposited PbSe films using light scattering

The deposition mechanism in chemical solution deposited PbSe films using light scattering was investigated. Chemical solution deposition (CD) is an effective and low-cost way to high quality semiconductor poly- and nanocrystalline thin films without the need of high deposition temperatures. The qualitative laser light scattering (LS) for determining the pH at which Cd(OH)₂ precipitation occurs in chemical deposition. The transition from nanocrystal growth mode to columnar crystal growth mode was assumed to occur because of a transition from the cluster growth mechanism in the initial stages. Single crystal PbSe films were obtained under conditions in which the ion-by-ion deposition mechanism is exclusively active. It was observed that the characteristics growth rate, film morphology and physical properties directly depend on the active deposition mechanism. It was also observed that in a polydispersed solution the scattering intensity depends on the size of the particles.