Upconversion luminescence from Er-N codoped of ZnO nanowires prepared by ion implantation method

Abstract Nitrogen and erbium co-doped of ZnO nanowires (NWs) are fabricated by ion implantation and subsequent annealing in air. The incorporation of Er 3+ and N + ions is verified by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman spectra. The samples exhibit upconversion photoluminescence around ∼550 nm and ∼660 nm under an excitation at 980 nm. It is discovered that the N-doped can drastically increase the upconversion photoluminescence intensity by modifying the local structure around Er 3+ in ZnO matrix. The enhancement of the PL intensity by the N-doped is caused by the formation of ErO 6− x N x octahedron complexes. With the increase of the annealing temperature ( T a ), the Er 3+ ions diffuse towards the surface of the NWs, which benefits the red emission and evokes the variation of intensity ratio owing to the existence of some organic groups.