Optical and structural characterization of zinc implanted silica under various thermal treatments

摘要

Zn ion implanted silica with controlled thermal annealing was investigated. Low temperature optical measurements indicate presence of Zn cluster in as-implanted silica. Optical spectra of the annealed sample under a reducing environment suggest Zn cluster and Zn metal colloid formation. The absorption peak at 5.3 eV may be due to surface plasma absorption of Zn metal colloids in silica. Oxidized samples (10 and 6x10(sup 16) ions/cm(sup 2)) show an absorption peak at 4.3 and 4.8 eV, respectively, and imply ZnO quantum dot formation. The blueshift in exciton absorption can be attributed to quantum confinement effects.