Tunable transport properties of n-type ZnO nanowires by Ti plasma immersion ion implantation

Single-crystalline, transparent conducting ZnO nanowires were obtained simply by Ti plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). Electrical transport characterizations demonstrate that the n-type conduction of ZnO nanowire could be tuned by appropriate Ti-PIII. When the energy of PIII is increased, the resistivity of ZnO decreases from 4×102 to 3.3×10−3 Ω cm, indicating a semiconductor-metal transition. The failure-current densities of the metallic ZnO could be up to 2.75×107 A/cm2. Therefore, this facile method may provide an inexpensive alternative to tin doped indium oxide as transparent conducting oxide materials.