Irradiation effects with 100 MeV Xe ions on optical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films are known as n-type transparent semiconductors. We have investigated the effects of 100 MeV Xe ion irradiation on the optical and structural properties of AZO films, which were prepared on SiO2 glass at 400 °C by using a RF-magnetron sputtering deposition method. We discuss relationships between these property modifications and the recent observations of the conductivity increase by ion irradiation. It is suggested that the band-gap modification has more close relation with the conductivity increase than the structural modification.