Study of Zinc Implanted Crystalline Quartz

The results of a study of crystalline quartz implanted by Zn-64(+) ions with a dose of 5 x 10(16)/cm(2) and an energy of 40 keV are presented. The samples were annealed in air in steps of 100 degrees C for 1 h at each step in the temperature range of 400-700 degrees C. The methods used for the study were atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction phase analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy. It was found that after implantation, the phases of metallic zinc Zn and carbon C were fixed in the near-surface layer. After annealing at 700 degrees C, the zinc oxide phase ZnO appears, and after annealing above 700 degrees C, the zinc silicide phase Zn2SiO4 appears. It was found that after annealing at 400 degrees C the roughness increases by 2 orders of magnitude compared to the state after implantation, and after annealing at 700 degrees C, the roughness of the quartz surface decreases by an order of magnitude compared to annealing at 400 degrees C. After annealing at 700 degrees C, numerous Zn-containing nanoparticles and craters are fixed on the surface and a zinc silicide phase is formed.