Microstrip structures of ZnO nanoparticle aggregates of millimetric length formed by selected-area ion implantation and thermal oxidation.
Regularly arrayed microstrip regions of width approximately 1.4 microm and length extending up to approximately 5 mm, consisting of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) of diameter approximately 50 nm, were fabricated on silica substrates by a two-step process: i.e., selected-area ion implantation and thermal oxidation. The implantation of 60 keV Zn ions in periodic microstrip regions via a resist mask generated periodic grooves with large wings on the surface of silica glass, which can be ascribed to the radiation-induced plastic deformation of silica and sputtering loss. This is the lowest record of the electronic energy loss (S(e)) value to induce the radiation-induced plastic deformation of silica, while no or very low threshold energy has been predicted from a recent study. After thermal oxidation at 700 degrees C for 1 h, the groove structures with the wings disappeared, and periodic microstrips of ZnO nanoparticle aggregates up to 5 mm long appeared on the surface of the substrate. A clear free-exciton peak due to ZnO NPs is observed from these microstrip structures both in optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra.
Quantum Beam Centre, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. amekura.hiroshi@nims.go.jp
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H
Amekura
H-S
HS
Wang
S
S
Hishita
J
J
Pan
N
N
Kishimoto
Ch
Ch
Buchal
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Mantl