In this work, CulnS(2) (CIS) nanoparticles have been synthesized with the aid of (1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctan)copper(II) sulfate ([Cu(DADO)]SO4) and his(propylenediamine)copper(II) sulfate ([Cu(pn)(2)]SO4) complexes as copper precursor in the presence of microwave irradiation. Besides, L-cystine, InCl3, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were applied as sulfur source, indium precursor, and capping agent, respectively. To investigate the effect of preparation parameters like microwave power and irradiation time on the morphology and particle size of CuInS2, the experiment was carried out at different conditions. The as-synthesized CuInS2 nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, PL, SEM, TEm, and EDS. The XRD results showed that pure tetragonal CuInS2 could be only obtained after annealing at 400 degrees C for 2 h. The SEM images indicated that with decreasing the microwave power and irradiation time, particle size of CulnS(2) nanoparticles decreased. To fabricate a solar cell, CdS film was directly deposited on top of the CIS film prepared by Doctor's blade method through chemical bath deposition. The as-deposited CdS/CulnS(2) films were used for the photovoltaic measurements. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.