Preparation of p-type ZnO:(Al, N) by a combination of sol--gel and ion-implantation techniques

We report the preparation of p-type ZnO thin films on (0001) sapphire substrates by a combination of sol--gel and ion-implantation techniques. The results of the Hall-effect measurements carried out at room temperature indicate that the N-implanted ZnO:Al films annealed at 600℃ have converted to p-type conduction with a hole concentration of 1.6\times10¹⁸cm^-3, a hole mobility of 3.67cm²/V\cdots and a minimum resistivity of 4.80cm\cdot\Omega. Ion-beam induced damage recovery has been investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and optical transmittance measurements. Results show that diffraction peaks and PL intensities are decreased by N ion implantation, but they nearly recover after annealing at 600℃. Our results demonstrate a promising approach to fabricate p-type ZnO at a low cost.