The modulating nature
of doping in oxide-based semiconductors has
always been an area of interest as it resulted in numerous technological
developments. On working with ZnO, the principal challenge faced in
its realistic utilization as an optoelectronic material lies in its
default n-type of nature due to the presence of native defects. Thus,
achieving p-type behavior has been a tedious job, and considerable
efforts have been made over the past couple of decades. The incorporation
of monodopants has yielded p-type ZnO of unstable reliability, thus
spurring research on codoping technology. In present study, we examined
the effects of boron implantation time on the structural and optical
properties of phosphorus-doped ZnO thin films, with the objective
of realizing a material ideal for optoelectronic applications. Furthermore,
we investigated the effects of annealing temperature on the behavior
of codoped samples. Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy,
high-resolution X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,
photoluminescence, and conductive atomic force microscopy results
evidenced that boron implantation improved the solubility of the acceptor
atom (i.e., phosphorus), which in turn improved the films’
acceptor-based optical emission. The various spectral data also indicated
the presence and location of boron atoms in the films. Moreover, we
realized a shallow acceptor energy level, with the minimum value being
55±0.37 meV from the valence band level. The acceptor-bound
exciton peak was observed up to 300 K, indicating the feasibility
of room temperature applications of these films. In addition, compared
with phosphorus doping, codoping increased the photoluminescence intensity
of the acceptor peaks. The codoped samples also exhibited stability
in the acceptor behavior with the signature of the acceptor bound
peaks observed over the span of 13 months.