Znic sulfide (ZnS) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The substrate temperature varied from room temperature (RT) to 500℃. The structural and optical properties of ZnS films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX) and UV-visible transmission spectra. The XRD analyses reveal that ZnS films have cubic structures with (111) preferential orientation, whereas the diffraction patterns sharpen with the increase in substrate temperatures. The FESEM images indicate that ZnS films deposited at 400℃ have nano-sized grains with a grain size of∼ 67 nm. The films exhibit relatively high transmittance of 80% in the visible region, with an energy band gap of 3.71 eV. One obvious result is that the energy band gap of the film increases with increasing the substrate temperatures.
