LAUSR

Abstract Nanostructured SnS 1−x Te x (X = 0.0, 0.020, 0.027, 0.032, 0.036) thin films were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates by an electrochemical route. The electrolyte contained SnCl 2 (2 mM), Na 2 S 2 O 3 (16 mM) and various amounts of TeO 2 solution (4 mM) as a dopant. The electrochemical deposition was done under the same condition for all samples. The deposition potential ( E ), deposition time ( t ), pH and electrolyte temperature ( T ) were −1 V, 30 min, 2.1 and 60 °C, respectively. Only the concentration of Te-dopant was changed to prepare nanostructured SnS 1−x Te x thin films. The synthesized SnS 1−x Te x samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and room temperature photoluminescence (PL). The XRD pattern revealed that the nanostructured SnS 1−x Te x thin films were crystalline with an orthorhombic phase. The TEM images presented that the single crystals of SnS 1−x Te x nanostructures were almost spherical in shape. By X-ray peak broadening, the crystalline development in the SnS 1−x Te x nanostructures was studied. In order to check the individual contributions of crystalline sizes and lattice strains on the peak broadening of the SnS 1−x Te x nanostructures, the Williamson-Hall (W-H) analysis and size-strain plot (SSP) method were used. The physical parameters such as strain and stress values were calculated exactly for all the reflection peaks of XRD related to the SnS 1−x Te x nanostructures lying in the range of 20°–60°, from the W-H plot supposing a uniform deformation model (UDM) and by the SSP method. A relationship describing the particle size of SnS 1−x Te x samples was observed among the obtained results from the TEM, W-H analysis and SSP method. The PL results exhibited a good agreement with XRD pattern.