Quenching of surface-exciton emission from ZnO nanocombs by plasma immersion ion implantation

Surface modification of ZnO nanocombs was performed through a Ti plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) with low bias voltages ranging from 0 to 5 kV to quench surface-originated exciton emission. The ion energy dependent surface modification on ZnO was investigated using transmission electron microscopy and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL). The surface exciton (SX) was clearly identified for the as-grown sample at 4.5 K , and complete quenching was observed for sample treated with 5 kV PIII due to surface state passivation. The SX related surface states were located within 5 nm in depth from the surface corresponding to the implantation depth of 5 kV PIII. Room-temperature PL enhancement of these surface-modified ZnO nanocombs was observed and discussed. The results show that PIII can become a viable technique for nanostructure surface passivation.