Ho and Nd ion beam modifications of ZnO thin films

This work reports the influence of the annealing temperature on the structural and optical characteristics of ZnO films implanted with Ho+ and Nd+ ions. ZnO films have been synthesized in the form of arrays of highly oriented nanorods on silicon substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. Ion implantations led to an increase in the crystallinity level of the films. The temperature changes in the lattice parameters and sizes of ZnO nanocrystals in nanorods are presented. Threshold temperatures of bulk crystallization and the photoluminescent properties of nanorods were established. It is shown that the implanted elements are almost uniformly distributed throughout the thickness of the films and accumulate at the SiOx/Si interface during high-temperature annealing.