Abstract Chemical bath deposition (CBD), a direct low cost technique that involves a cadmium salt solution, a complexing agent and a chalcogen source, was used to prepare CdSe semiconductor films. The most favourable conditions for acceptable quality CdSe films grown on glass were obtained. Commercially available microscope glass slides (with a size of 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 mm) were used as substrates to deposit CdSe films. CdSe films were deposited in a freshly prepared aqueous solution containing CdSO 4 (0.2–0.4 M), NH 4 OH (3.8–14 M) as a complexing agent for slow release of Cd 2+ ions, and Na 2 SeSO 3 (0.118 and 0.16) as a source of Se 2– ions. The solutions were prepared in deionized water. The glass slides were immersed in a mixture of CdSO 4 –NH 4 OH for 5 min before the solution of Na 2 SeSO 3 was added. The bath temperature varied from 20 to 60 °C. Structural and morphological quality of the films was analyzed by XRD, SEM, EDS, and XPS. The results show that the crystallinity of the CdSe films as‐deposited is improved by increasing temperature. The initial growth stages of CdSe films at 20 and 60 °C start on CdO x and Cd(OH) 2 buffer layers respectively. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)