Defects in Irradiated ZnO Thin Films Studied by Photoluminescence and Photoconductivity

Abstract

Pulsed-laser-deposited ZnO thin films were exposed to a 1.5 MeV helium ion beam to study the changes in radiative and non-radiative recombination. We first measured photoluminescence (PL) spectra at 4.2 K excited with the 325 nm line of a HeCd laser. The asdeposited films showed a donor-bound exciton peak at 3.3567 eV attributed to Zn interstitials. After irradiation the donor-bound-exciton dominated PL spectra shifted to acceptor-bound behaviour with a signal at 3.3519 eV, tentatively attributed to Li or Na acceptors. In contrast to the approximately 30 % decrease of the PL signal near the band edge, we observed a strong concomitant enhancement of the green/orange PL band, located between 2.1 eV and 2.8 eV, by a factor of over 4. Candidates for those transitions are Li impurities and/or O vacancies. For comparison, the steady-state photocurrent decreased strongly in the irradiated region, which can also be attributed to increased non-radiative recombination through oxygen-related defects.

Photoluminescence and positron annihilation spectroscopic investigation on a H+irradiated ZnO single crystal

“…The activation energies of both the emissions agree very well. It is also to be noted that energetic electrons [42] or He ions [19] both suppress the NBE peak of ZnO. However, 6 MeV H + ions enhance the NBE and suppress the DLE in hydrothermal ZnO.…”

“…However, neither of the techniques reveal a high scale of disorder in the irradiated sample. Earlier reports indicate that electrons [13] or He ions [19] or H + ions [16] of comparable energy create disorder to a greater extent in ZnO. The possible reason for the low disorder by MeV H + ions in hydrothermal ZnO has been discussed in the light of the relevant literature on this topic.…”