CuInS2 thin films were prepared by using the recently presented Spray Ion Layer Gas Reaction (Spray ILGAR). Originally designed for buffer layer deposition this process has now been significantly modified in order to deposit absorber layers for thin film solar cells with thicknesses in the micrometer range. Several post deposition treatments are applied to these films. In this report the CuInS2 films are characterized regarding structure, bulk and surface composition. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF), X-Ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS), and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA) were employed to compare the composition of these films to reference CuInS2 films, which were prepared by Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP). It is shown that in terms of composition and surface chemistry the ILGAR films are very similar to device grade reference samples. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.