Phase Evolution of Cubic ZnS Annealed in Mild Oxidizing Atmosphere

ZnS thin films are prepared by thermal evaporation of high-purity ZnS powder on quartz glass substrates.The samples were annealed in floating argon at temperatures from 300℃to 900℃.The effects of annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties were investigated by x-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM)and optical absorption.The results show that annealing below 500℃is beneficial to improve the quality of ZnS films.When the annealing temperature exceeds 500℃,ZnS is gradually oxidized into ZnSO4,which has evident influences on the structural and optical properties of ZnS films.