Nanoparticle Formation in Zinc-Ion-Implanated Quartz Upon Oxidation at Elevated Temperatures

The results of the synthesis of metallic zinc nanoparticles (NPs) and its oxide in amorphous quartz, implanted with 64Zn+ ions with an energy of 50 keV and a dose of 5 × 1016/cm2, and isochronously annealed in oxygen with a step of 100°C for 1 hour at each step in the temperature range of 400−900°C, are presented. For the study we use the methods of electron scanning and transmission microscopy in combination with energy-dispersive spectroscopy and electron diffraction, as well as atomic-force microscopy, optical transmission and photoluminescence. It is found that after implantation, a few Zn-containing NPs with a size of less than 100 nm are recorded on the quartz surface, and metal Zn NPs with a size of about 3 nm are recorded inside the sample body. It is established that during annealing, the implanted sample becomes more transparent as a constant transition from the opaque phase of metallic Zn to the transparent phases of its oxide and silicide occurs. After annealing at 700°C, the quartz surface becomes very developed and numerous Zn-containing NPs and craters are recorded on it; zinc-oxide nanoparticles with a size of 4.5 nm are formed in the sample body. In this case, a photoluminescence peak in the form of a doublet at a wavelength of 370 nm, caused by the ZnO phase, is formed on the spectrum. After annealing at 900°C, the zinc-oxide phase degrades and a willemite phase of Zn2SiO4 is formed.