Semiconducting Properties of Swift Au Ion-Irradiated ZnO Thin Films at Room Temperature

Abstract

The semiconducting properties of Au ion-irradiated ZnO thin films were investigated as a function of ion irradiation dose at room temperature. The Au ion irradiation was conducted with acceleration energy of 130 MeV in the ion dose range from 1 x 10(11) to 5 x 10(12) ions/cm(2). The physical properties showed no change regardless of the Au ion irradiation dose; however, the electrical properties of Au ion-irradiated ZnO thin films changed, depending on the Au ion irradiation dose. The electronic structure drastically changed with the evolution of hybridized molecular orbital structure for the conduction band and band edge states below the conduction band. These remarkable changes in electronic structure correlate with changes in electrical properties, such as carrier concentration and mobility.