Modification in optical properties of negative Cu ion implanted ZnO

Nanoparticles of Cu were formed in the zinc oxide (ZnO) substrate by negative ion implantation. Zinc oxide was chosen, because of its possibility for photonic applications, as a semiconductor with high radiation resistance. Negative Cu ions of 60 keV were implanted to (0001) oxygen-face single crystal. The total dose varied in a range of 1 x 10(15)-1 x 10(17) ions/cm(2). After implantation and after post-irradiation annealing, optical absorption was measured in a UV-IR range and the radiation damage was evaluated by XRD and RBS. The formation of Cu nanoparticle was verified by a surface plasmon resonance peak in absorption spectra. The crystallinity of ZnO was kept well below the tolerance dose of 1 x 10(16) ions/cm(2), which is large in comparison with other semiconductors. It is concluded that ZnO is a promising candidate for nanoparticle-dispersed optical materials, together with functionality of semiconductor. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.