Effect of Sb addition on SbxSn1-xS thin films: The structural,morphological, and linear/nonlinear optical changes for optoelectronic applications

The current paper reports the changes in the structural and optical properties of antimony-doped tin sulfide ternary (Sb_xSn_1-xS) (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2) thin films synthesized by the thermal evaporation technique on a glass substrate. Structural characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy of the prepared sample revealed that the thin films are crystalline in nature. The nanoflake-like structure was found from the surface morphological analysis performed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The concentration of the compositional elements was confirmed from the energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The linear and nonlinear optical parameters were calculated by using the transmission data obtained from UV–vis spectroscopy in the range of 800–1100 nm. The optical measurements showed an increase in transmittance and shifting of the absorption edge. The optical bandgap increased (1.239–1.378 eV) and the refractive index decreased with the increase of Sb concentration, satisfying the Moss rule. The nonlinear susceptibility and the nonlinear refractive index (n₂) decreased with Sb content. The changes in both linear and nonlinear parameters by varying the antimony doping concentration could be helpful for controlling the optical properties of Sb_xSn_1-xS thin films and could be a suitable candidate for many photonics and optoelectronic applications.     

Impact on nonlinear/linear optical and structural parameters in quaternary In15Ag10S15Se60 thin films upon annealing at different temperatures

In the present study, the effect of thermal annealing on structural, linear, and nonlinear optical properties of quaternary chalcogenide In₁₅Ag₁₀S₁₅Se₆₀ thin film has been reported. The bulk sample synthesized by the melt quenching technique was used for the thin film preparation by the thermal evaporation method. Post deposition, the thin films were annealed at different temperatures like 100 °C, 150 °C, 200 °C, and 250 °C for 2 hs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were used for structural studies, which showed the increase in crystalline phases with the increase of annealing temperature. The morphological images taken by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) showed the densification and enlargement of scattered grains for annealed films. Furthermore, the constituent elements and their percentage in the sample were confirmed by Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The linear and nonlinear optical parameters were calculated from the transmittance data obtained from UV–Vis spectroscopy in the wavelength range of 600–1100 nm. There is a large reduction in third-order nonlinear susceptibility at the higher annealing temperature. Subsequently, the transmission increased, whereas the absorption decreased with the annealing temperature. The extinction coefficient decreased while there was an increase in optical bandgap for the annealed films due to the decrease in surface defects and disorder, which forms the localized states in the bandgap. The oscillator energy, dispersion energy, dielectric constant, optical conductivity were calculated and discussed in detail. The change in both linear and nonlinear parameters by thermal annealing could be useful for controlling the optical properties of In₁₅Ag₁₀S₁₅Se₆₀ thin film, which could be the preferable candidate for numerous photonic applications.     

Four-phases characterization of synthesised CeO2 thin films: Effect of molarity on structural,optical, physical properties and gamma-ray attenuation parameters

A group of novel CeO₂ thin films were synthesised using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis process. The composition ratios of these films were modified to investigate changes in their optical, surface, electrical, and structural characteristics. Absorbance spectra in the range 300–900 nm was acquired. Transmittance in the visible area was determined to be 50%. The optical band gap was reported to vary between 3.38 and 3.52eV using absorbance spectra. X-ray diffraction was used to analyse the films' structure, while atomic force microscopy was used to determine the surface roughness values. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and the Cauchy–Urbach model were used to calculate the thicknesses. Electrical resistivity values were determined using a four-probe system. CeO₂ thin film X-ray diffraction patterns validated the polycrystalline cubic fluorite structure. According to the data, the deposited films expand preferentially in the (2 0 0) direction. The films were found to have a high resistivity of 10⁶ Ω cm. We also evaluated the nuclear radiation shielding properties of CeO₂ thin films in the 0.015–15 MeV photon energy range. The results indicated that CeO₂ thin film exhibits promising half value layers of 0.00169 cm, 0.14055 cm, 1.62665 cm, and 2.30273 cm, respectively, for 0.015 MeV, 0.15 MeV, 1 MeV, and 15 MeV CeO₂ films have been determined to be worth working on and may be promising materials for optoelectronic and nuclear security applications.     

Microwave dielectric and nonlinear optical studies on radio‐frequency sputtered Dy2O3‐doped KNN thin films

We report the effect of oxygen mixing percentage (OMP) on structural, microstructural, dielectric, linear, and nonlinear optical properties of Dy₂O₃‐doped (K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ thin films. The (K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ + 0.5 wt%Dy₂O₃ (KNN05D) ferroelectric thin films were deposited on to quartz and Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. An increase in the refractive index from 2.08 to 2.21 and a decrease in the optical bandgap from 4.30 to 4.28 eV indicate the improvement in crystallinity, which is also confirmed from Raman studies. A high relative permittivity (ε_r=281‐332) and low loss tangent (tanδ=1.2%‐1.9%) were obtained for the films deposited in 100% OMP, measured at microwave frequencies (5‐15 GHz). The leakage current of the films found to be as low as 9.90×10^?9 A/cm² at 150 kV/cm and Poole‐Frenkel emission is the dominant conduction mechanism in the films. The third order nonlinear optical properties of the KNN05D films were investigated using modified single beam z‐scan method. The third order nonlinear susceptibility (?χ⁽³⁾?) values of KNN05D films increased from 0.69×10^?3 esu to 1.40×10^?3 esu with an increase in OMP. The larger and positive nonlinear refractive index n₂=7.04×10^?6 cm²/W, and nonlinear absorption coefficient β=1.70 cm/W were obtained for the 100% OMP film, indicating that KNN05D films are good candidates for the applications in nonlinear photonics and high‐frequency devices.     

Thermal annealing induced mazy structure on MoO3 thin films and their high sensing performance to NO gas at room temperature

MoS₂ thin films were prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and then annealed in air. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission electron scanning microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were adopted to characterize the phase structure and surface morphology. Interestingly, upon thermal annealing in air, MoS₂ thin films changed into α-MoO₃ with mazy morphology, and the thin films were covered by MoO₃ nano-sheets with a length of 30–50 nm and a width of 10 nm. α-MoO₃ thin films with mazy morphology showed excellent response to NO gas at room temperature. The response of 5% and 92% was obtained at 5 ppm and 200 ppm, respectively, and the response and recovery times were 30 s and 1500 s. Moreover, the mazy structure of MoO₃ exhibited good selectivity to NO gas with respect to SO₂, NH₃ and H₂ gases. The high surface-to-volume ratio was the dominant factor for high sensing performance.     

Al3+ doping induced changes of structural,morphology, photoluminescence,optical and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films as alternative TCO for optoelectronic applications

Highly transparent and conductive pure (SnO₂) and aluminum doped tin oxide (Al:SnO₂) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the sol-gel spin-coating method. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the prepared thin films at different doping rates have been studied. X-ray diffraction results revealed that all the films were polycrystalline in nature with a tetragonal rutile structure. SEM images of the analyzed films showed a homogeneous surface morphology, composed of nanocrystalline grains. The EDS results confirmed the presence of Sn and O elements in pure SnO₂ and Sn, O, Al in doped SnO₂ thin films. The optical results revealed a high transmittance greater than 85% in the visible and near infrared and a band gap varying between 3.82 and 3.89 eV. PL spectra at room temperature showed that the most dominant defects correspond to oxygen vacancies. A low resistivity of order varying between 10^?3 and 10^?4 Ω cm and a high figure of merits ranging between 10^?3 and 10^?2 Ω^?1 in the visible range were obtained. The best performances were obtained for samples containing 2 at. % Al, which could be used as an alternative TCO layer for future optoelectronic devices.     

Modifications in the structural,morphological, optical properties of Ag45Se40Te15 thin films by proton ion irradiation for optoelectronics and nonlinear applications

This current work reports the 30 keV proton ion irradiation induced structural, morphological, and optical properties change in Ag₄₅Se₄₀Te₁₅ films at different fluences. The thin films were irradiated with different ion fluences, such as 5 × 10¹⁵ ions/cm²,1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm² and 5 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². The electronic loss (S_e) dominates over the nuclear loss (S_n) in proton irradiation. The X-ray diffraction study shows the phase transformation from amorphous to crystalline upon ion irradiation. The Raman analysis confirms the change in chemical and vibrational bonds due to structural alterations in the films. The surface morphology has been studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy and the composition of the films has been checked by the energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The particle size increased upon the increase in ion irradiation fluence. The surface roughness of the films has been studied by atomic force microscopy. The transmission data is used to calculate the linear optical parameters. The absorption edge shifts towards the high wavelength region inferring the reduction in the optical bandgap. The linear refractive index of the films increased with ion fluence. The optical density increased at the high wavelength region while the skin depth decreased with fluence. The carrier concentration per effective mass decreased while the plasma frequency increased with proton irradiation. The nonlinearity (χ ⁽³⁾ and n₂) values increased significantly with the increase in fluences. Such kind of materials with optimization in their optical parameters are primarily essential for cutting-edge photonic, optoelectronic, and nonlinear optical applications.     

Synthesis,structure identification and linear/nonlinear optics of hydrothermally grown WO3 nanostructured thin film/FTO: Novel approach

Thin film of WO₃ has been deposited on conductive fluorine tin oxide substrate using the hydrothermal technique. The film's microstructural, morphological and optical properties have been identified using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, and spectrophotometer. The obtained results have confirmed the nanocrystalline structure of the as-received WO₃ thin film with crystallite size ≈63.4 nm. Analysis of the absorption coefficient using Tauc's model shows the possibility of direct and/or indirect allowed transition with energy gaps 3.95 and/or 3.45 eV, respectively. The refractive index has been determined by different methods showing the average value (2.2 and 2.3 corresponding to the direct and indirect transitions, respectively). The nonlinear refractive index and third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility have been determined, showing the high polarizability of WO₃/FTO with radiation to be promising for different optical devices and applications.     

Post-deposition annealed MoO3 film based high performance MSM UV photodetector fabricated on Si (100)

Molybdenum oxide (MoO₃) films were prepared on Si (100) at room temperature using radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique. The films were annealed in the presence of air at different temperatures from 100 to 550 °C. The as-prepared films were amorphous as revealed by the X-ray diffraction analysis. Post-deposition annealing of MoO₃ film enhanced its crystalline structure, showing β-MoO₃ phase at 100 °C and a mixture of α-MoO₃ and β-MoO₃ phases at 300 °C. The crystallinity of α-MoO₃ improved with increasing the annealing temperature to 500 °C, however, the β-MoO₃ phase became amorphous. The film was dissolved at 550 °C as no diffraction peak of MoO₃ was detected at this temperature. The band gap of MoO₃ was evaluated through ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The results showed a decrease in the band gap from 3.70 to 3.39 eV with increasing the annealing temperature to 500 °C. The film with optimum crystalline quality was used to fabricate a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector device. The photo-detection characteristics of the film were studied after the deposition of Nickel contacts on MoO₃ using a metal mask having interdigitated electrodes. The fabricated device exhibited a high current gain and sensitivity under 365 nm UV illumination. The responsivity of the device under UV light was 0.41 A/W at 7 V. The rise and decay time of UV photodetector were 0.32 and 0.23 s respectively. These findings suggested that the MoO₃ film with dominant orthorhombic α-phase can potentially be used for the photodetector application.     

Semiconducting amorphous carbon thin films for transparent conducting electrodes

Semiconducting amorphous carbon thin films were directly grown on SiO₂ substrate by using chemical vapor deposition. Raman spectra and transmission electron microscopy image showed that the a-C films have a short-range ordered amorphous structure. The electrical and optical properties of the a-C thin films were investigated. The films have sheet resistance of 3.7 kΩ/□ and high transmittance of 82%. They exhibit metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor mobility of 10–12 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at room temperature, which is comparable to previous reported mobility of amorphous carbon. The optical band gap was calculated by Tauc’s relationship and photoluminescence spectra showed that the films are semiconductor with an optical band gap of 1.8 eV. These good physical properties make the a-C films a candidate for the application of transparent conducting electrodes.     

Role of tellurium addition on the linear and non-linear optical,structural, morphological properties of Ag60-xSe40Tex thin films for nonlinear applications

The tellurium (Te)-doped Ag_60-xSe₄₀Te_x (x = 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%) thin films of thickness ∼800 nm were prepared from the bulk sample by thermal evaporation method on a glass substrate. The X-ray diffraction study revealed the amorphous nature of the films whereas the change in vibrational modes was noticed from the Raman spectroscopy. The composition of the films was verified by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and the surface morphology pictures were taken by field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscope. The changes in optical properties (linear and non-linear) with Te addition were studied from UV-Visible spectroscopy data and related empirical formulas. The addition of Te reduced the bandgap values significantly and the reduction in transmission resulted in the increase of the linear refractive index. The decrease in optical bandgap is due to an increase in disorder while the width of the tail in the gap increased with Te%. The optical density, dispersion energy, extinction coefficient, carrier concentration, dielectric constant, oscillator wavelength increased while the oscillator energy, oscillator strength, optical electronegativity decreased with Te content. The electrical susceptibility increased with Te content. The non-linear susceptibilities and the non-linear refractive index increased which is good for the nonlinear photonic devices.     

Profound optical analysis for novel amorphous Cu2FeSnS4 thin films as an absorber layer for thin film solar cells

In this study, quaternary kesterite Cu₂FeSnS₄ (CFTS₄) has been selected due to its interesting optical and electrical characteristics. The CFTS₄ films were prepared by exploiting the chemical bath deposition process at room temperature. The films were prepared at different deposition periods (1, 3, 5 and 7 h). The EDAX technique was helped in evaluating the compositional element ratio which near to 2:1:1:4. The morphology and structure of CFTS₄ films have been examined by utilizing X-ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscope techniques. XRD charts revealed the absence of sharp peaks and approved the amorphous nature of films under investigations. The transmittance and reflectance data were employed to compute the linear and nonlinear optical constants of the as-deposited CFTS₄ films. The energy gap calculations for the CFTS₄ films grown on glass substrate displayed a direct energy gap and by increasing the deposition time, a reduction in energy gap values from 1.41 to 1.19 eV was obtained. The deep analysis of linear/nonlinear optical properties as a function of deposition time has revealed many characteristics of the investigated films. Moreover, the nonlinear parameters (refractive index n₂, nonlinear absorption coefficient β_c and the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ⁽³⁾) of the CFTS₄ films were boosted with rising up the film thickness and their high values imply the possibility of utilizing these films in various optoelectronic applications.     

High-quality c-axis oriented non-vacuum Er doped ZnO thin films

Preparation, growth, structure and optical properties of high-quality c-axis oriented non-vacuum Er doped ZnO thin films were studied. Zn_1−xEr_xO (x=0.0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.05) precursor solutions were prepared by sol–gel synthesis using Zn, and Er based alkoxide which were dissolved into solvent and chelating agent. Zn_1−xEr_xO thin films with different Er doping concentration were grown on glass substrate using sol–gel dip coating. Thin films were annealed at 600 °C for 30 min, and tried to observe the effect of doping ratio on structural and optical properties. The particle size, crystal structure, surface morphologies and microstructure of all samples were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The UV–vis spectrometer measurements were carried out for the optical characterizations. The surface morphology of the Zn_1−xEr_xO films depend on substrate nature and sol–gel parameters such as withdrawal speed, drying, heat treatment, deep number (film thickness) and annealing condition. Surface morphologies of Er doped ZnO thin films were dense, without porosity, uniform, crack and pinhole free. XRD results showed that, all Er doped ZnO thin films have a hexagonal structure and (002) orientation. The optical transmittance of rare earth element (Er) doped ZnO thin films were increased. The Er doped ZnO thin films showed high transparency (>85) in the visible region (400–700 nm).     

Synthesis and optical behavior of PLED devices based on (PMMA)/(PAA)/Er(AP)6Cl3 complex and N,N′-didodecyl-3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic diimide composites

The realization of efficient polymeric light emitting diode (PLEDs) in a double-layered configuration was investigated. The devices are composed by transparent conductive oxide (ITO)/MoO₃/organic layers/aluminum/selenium, conformed by thin film sandwich structures obtained by vacuum evaporation. Two organic layers were developed. First a n-type organic layer of composite based on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)/polyacrilic acid (PAA)/Er(AP)₆Cl₃ complex and second a n-type organic semiconductor, N,N′-didodecyl-3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI-C₁₂H₂₅). The rare earth complex composites and the perilenic compound were synthesized and characterized using UV–Visible absorption, XPS, and NMR techniques, respectively. Driving voltage of devices was lowered by applying MoO₃ thin film as buffer layer and high current intensity efficiency was obtained applying a perilenic film. The effect of MoO₃ and PTCDI-C₁₂H₂₅ thin films, on the optical and the physical properties of the electroluminescent devices were discussed. I–V measurements have shown that the structures exhibit diode characteristics and the electroluminescent signal increases when PTCDI-C₁₂H₂₅ thin layer is introduced between the anode and the holes transporting layer. The morphology of the thin films with and without buffer layer indicates that introduction of this layer allows to obtain a homogeneous surface morphology. The results indicate that carrier injection ability and optimized charge balance is obtained to the lowest driving voltage and highest intensities efficiency among the referenced devices.     

Change of the properties of nanostructured MoO3 thin films using gamma-ray irradiation

Thin films of Molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) were deposited on glass substrates by the spray pyrolysis at 500?°C and the samples were then exposed to gamma γ radiation doses by ⁶⁰Co radioisotope at different doses (0.1, 10 and 50 kGy). The effects of gamma irradiation on the properties of MoO3 thin films were investigated. The XRD pattern and Raman spectroscopy of as-deposited MoO₃ samples show an orthorhombic structure related to α-MoO₃ with (0k0) preferred orientations. Uv‐vis spectra were studied to investigate the transmission measurements of MoO₃ films. The optical energy band gap and Urbach energy were found to be gamma-dose dependent. Photoluminescence measurements at room temperature using 300?nm wavelength excitation were investigated. SEM images indicate the formation of α-MoO₃ nanorods.     

Strain effects in epitaxial La-doped SrSnO3 films on lattice-matched PMN-PT substrates

Here we report the effect of the strain states on the structure, optical and electrical transport properties of the La_0.05Sr_0.95SnO₃ (LSSO) thin films grown epitaxially on (001)-oriented 0.70 Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.30PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction results indicate that the films are fully strained up to at least 100 nm thickness, and the in-plane compressive strain gradually releases in thicker films. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy characterizations demonstrate that the LSSO films were grown coherently on PMN-PT(001) substrates. With varying the thicknesses of the fully strained films from 20 to 100 nm, the electrical transport properties are improved significantly. A lowest room-temperature resistivity of 1.88 mΩcm and the highest mobility of 28.1 cm²/Vs are obtained in the 100 nm film. The optical band gap determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry is found to increase from 4.58 to 4.88 eV with the film thicknesses varying from 20 to 500 nm. The results imply that the LSSO epitaxial films exhibit tunable electrical performances and optical band gaps through strain, which may have potential applications in optoelectrical devices.     

Solution Synthesis of BiFeO3 Thin Films onto Silicon Substrates with Ferroelectric,Magnetic, and Optical Functionalities

Single‐BiFeO₃ perovskite films onto Pt‐coated silicon substrates have been fabricated by chemical solution deposition using a synthesis strategy based on the use of nonhazardous reagents. Different routes were tested to obtain precursors for the deposition of the films, inferring that bismuth (III) nitrate and iron (III) 2,4‐pentanedionate dissolved in acetic acid and 1,3‐propendiol led to the best solution. Ferroelectric, magnetic, and optical functionalities were demonstrated in these films, obtaining a high ferroelectric polarization at room temperature, ~67 μC × cm^?2, a dependence of the magnetization with the film thickness, 0.60 and 2.50 emu × g^?1 for the ~215 and ~42‐nm‐thick films, and a direct band gap in the visible range, E_g ~2.82 eV. These results support the interest of solution methods for the fabrication of BiFeO₃ thin films onto the silicon substrates required in microelectronic devices.     

Electro-optical performances of nanostructured SrTiOx films: The effect of plasma power,Ar/O2 ratio and annealing

The present work evaluates the effects of plasma power and oxygen mixing ratios (OMRs) on structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of strontium titanate SrTiO_x (STO) thin films. STO thin films were grown by magnetron sputtering, and later thermal annealing at 700°C for 1 h was applied to improve film properties. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that as-deposited films have amorphous microstructure independent of deposition conditions. The films deposited at higher OMR values and later annealed also showed amorphous structure while the films deposited at lower OMR value and annealed have nanocrystallinity. In addition, all as-deposited films were highly transparent (~80%–85%) in the visible spectrum and exhibited well-defined main absorption edge, while the annealing improved transparency (90%) within the same spectrum. The calculated direct and indirect optical band gaps for films were in the range of 3.60-4.30 eV as a function of deposition conditions. The refractive index of the films increased with OMRs and the postdeposition annealing. The frequency dependent capacitance measurements at 100 kHz were performed to obtain film dielectric constant values. High dielectric constant values reaching up to 100 were obtained. All STO samples exhibited more than 2.5 μC/cm² charge storage capacity and low dielectric loss (less than 0.07 at 100 kHz). The leakage current density was relatively low (3 × 10⁻⁸Acm⁻² at +0.8 V) indicating that STO films are promising for future dynamic random access memory applications.     

Photoluminescence and third-order nonlinear optical limiting properties of Sn1-xNdxO2 thin films deposited via spray pyrolysis

In the present work, spray pyrolysis method was adopted to synthesis nano thin films of Sn_1-xNd_xO₂ (x = 0.01 to 0.1) possessing tetragonal structure with (1 1 0) plane orientation. Nd doping reduced the overall crystallinity of the films, however Sn_0.92Nd_0.08O₂ film showed crystallite size of 18.7 nm, similar to that of the pure film. The morphology changed to distinct grains at lower doping concentration, beyond which a fibrous nature evolved but again changed to smaller grains with further increase in the doping. The oxidation states of the constituent elements were confirmed using XPS. The transmittance of the films reduced due to incorporation of Nd ions. A decrease in the energy band gap was also noticed in the films following dopant addition. The PL emissions corresponding to the Nd ion transitions was found in the NIR region resulting from internal 4f-shell transitions of Nd³⁺ ions. Other defect related emissions like the one from oxygen vacancies also showed up in the UV and visible wavelength regions, which were responsible for a near white light emission. The third-order optical nonlinearity of the films was confirmed using the Z-scan technique. All the Sn_1-xNd_xO₂ films till 8 at. % of doping showed reverse saturable absorption. The highest and lowest nonlinear absorption coefficient was exhibited by Sn_0.92Nd_0.08O₂ and Sn_0.98Nd_0.02O₂ films, respectively. Depending on the Nd concentration, the films either showed self-focusing or self-defocusing behavior and influenced the nonlinear refractive indices of the films. The least optical limiting values among the doped films was obtained in the range of 1.73 kJ/cm² for Sn_0.92Nd_0.08O₂ films.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the physical properties of co-evaporated Sn2S3 thin films

We report the deposition of tin sulfide (Sn₂S₃) thin films by co-evaporation technique at different substrate temperatures. The influence of substrate temperature on the structural and optical properties of the thin films is investigated. X- ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Micro-Raman studies confirm the formation of Sn₂S₃ phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are used to examine the surface morphology. The transmission spectra of the deposited Sn₂S₃ thin films have been recorded in the wavelength range of 200–3000 nm using UV–vis-NIR spectrometer. Film thickness (d) and optical constants such as refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), real (ε₁) and imaginary (ε₂) parts of the dielectric constants of thin films are estimated from the optical transmittance. The optical band gaps of the deposited films at different substrate temperatures are in the range of 1.46–1.64 eV. Hall effect measurements confirm the n-type nature of the as-prepared Sn₂S₃ thin films.