Structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Er implanted ZnO thin films

We report the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Er implanted and annealed ZnO thin films. The effect of annealing in oxygen-deficient and oxygen-rich conditions was investigated. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry results revealed that the Er atoms are located at the implantation depth of around 13 nm, and annealing conditions had no adverse effect on the Er concentration in the layer. Raman spectroscopy results showed peak related to E2(high) mode of ZnO indicating enhanced crystalline quality of the Er implanted and annealed ZnO films. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy results demonstrated pre-edge features in O K-edge which are attributed to the structural defects in the films. Room temperature magnetic ordering was observed in Er implanted and annealed films, and is mainly assigned to the intrinsic defects in ZnO.