Synthesis of ZnO nanocrystals by subsequent implantation of Zn and O species

We report the preparation of ZnO nanocrystals embedded in a SiO2 matrix formed using sequential zinc and oxygen ion implantations. The optical absorption spectra and photoemission spectra of zinc implanted and zinc/oxygen coimplanted silica show that the first zinc implantation produces zinc clusters and that the subsequent oxygen implantation following the zinc implantation rearranges the distribution of zinc and oxygen ions at an atomic level. While thermal annealing of Zn only implanted silica leads to the formation of Zn nanocrystals, thermal annealing of zinc/oxygen coimplanted silica promotes the growth of ZnO nanocrystals. The absorption and photoluminescence spectra show that ZnO nanocrystals form in an amorphous SiO2 matrix and that their systematic change as a function of annealing temperature corresponds to the typical correlation between the increase of particle size and a redshift in near-band-edge emission