Growth and properties of indium sulfide layers (< 300 nm) prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) have been studied. Growth rate of about 0.6 A per cycle has been measured for films deposited at 160°C from indium acetylacetonate and hydrogen sulfide precursors. The films are crystalline with the β modification. They possess high band gap values (2.7-2.8 eV) which are related to small grain sizes (3-4 nm) through quantum size effects. Electrical properties have been addressed using the semiconductor electrolyte junction. They are n type with a doping level around 1016 cm−3 and possess a good blocking behavior under reverse bias. The flat band potential is close to -1 V vs MSE. These figures are close to those measured under similar conditions with CdS CBD buffer layers and could explain the good cell performances obtained with ALD In2S3.
