Barman, B.Bangera, K.V.Shivakumar, G.K.2026-02-052020Solar Energy, 2020, 206, , pp. 479-4860038092Xhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2020.06.026https://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/23790Zinc sulfide (ZnS) and tin sulfide (SnS) are crucial semiconductors with potential use in various opto-electronic applications. By incorporating ZnS and SnS to form Zn<inf>x</inf>Sn<inf>1-x</inf>S thin film, one can expect exceptional opto-electrical properties due to their large band gap dissimilarity. Herein, thin films of Zn<inf>x</inf>Sn<inf>1-x</inf>S (0.0 ? x ? 1.0) were successfully deposited on glass substrates using a thermal evaporation method for the first time and its various properties were analyzed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the polycrystalline behavior of Zn<inf>x</inf>Sn<inf>1-x</inf>S films with a preferred orientation along the (1 1 1) plane. The absence of any secondary peaks along with the shift in the (1 1 1) peak position to lower 2? values with increasing Zn concentration confirmed the formation of a solid solution. SEM analysis depicted the presence of uniform and homogeneous films. The formation of nearly stoichiometric Zn<inf>x</inf>Sn<inf>1-x</inf>S films was verified using an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The electrical and optical properties of the films were estimated from the two-probe method and UV–Vis spectroscopy, respectively. The energy band gap values decreased from 3.49 eV to 1.54 eV as the composition of the Zn<inf>x</inf>Sn<inf>1-x</inf>S films was varied. The various opto-electrical parameters were investigated and the photosensitivity was found highest at 43.38 for the Zn<inf>0.10</inf>Sn<inf>0.90</inf>S films. The observed tunable opto-electrical properties of the Zn<inf>x</inf>Sn<inf>1-x</inf>S films suggests that the films can be utilized for a wide range of opto-electronic applications. © 2020 International Solar Energy SocietyEnergy dispersive spectroscopyEnergy gapII-VI semiconductorsIV-VI semiconductorsLayered semiconductorsOptical propertiesSemiconducting tin compoundsSubstratesSulfur compoundsThermal evaporationThin filmsWide band gap semiconductorsX ray diffraction analysisZinc sulfideElectrical and optical propertiesElectrical parameterEnergy dispersive spectroscopies (EDS)Homogeneous filmsOptoelectronic applicationsPreferred orientationsThermal evaporation methodZinc sulfide (ZnS)Tin compoundsdetection methodelectrical propertyequipmentinorganic compoundoptical propertypreferred orientation