Structural and Optical Properties of Hydrogen-ion-implanted ZnO Nanorods

We investigated the micro-structural and the optical properties of H+-ion-implanted ZnO nanorods by using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements at the Zn K edge and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Vertically-aligned ZnO nanorods were synthesized using metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition and were vertically implanted with hydrogen ions (H+) at an energy of 90 keV and a total flux of 10(16) particles/cm(2). Scanning electron microscopy measurements showed no detectable defects existing in the WE-ion-implanted ZnO nanorods. However, transmission electron microscopy measurements revealed that an amorphous phase existed, particularly near the top parts of the nanorods. X-ray diffraction and XAFS measurements provided further evidence that the nanorods had structural defects due to the H+-ion implantation. PL measurements showed that the transition peak intensity of the H+-ion-implanted ZnO nanorods was decreased dramatically due to the ion implantation.