The undoped ZnO and Nd-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on Si(111) substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering.The lattice structure and the surface morphology were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscope

respectively.The results indicate that owing to the lager radius of Nd atoms than Zn atoms the Nd were substitution atoms in the ZnO lattices.The Nd-doped ZnO thin films were nano-multi-crystal and the surface morphology were roughness since the deformation of Nd-doped ZnO lattices.The room temperature photoluminescence spectrum indicates that undoped ZnO thin films and Nd-doped ZnO thin films have strong purple band at 395 nm and weak green band at 495 nm.Because of the exciton recombination the purple peaks are narrower and stronger than that of the green peak.The weak green peaks come from the oxygen vacancy and the oxygen antisite of Zn defects in the films.We also found that the Nd-dopd has no effect on the emission peak position of the PLspectrum.Due to the charges number of the Nd

3+

ions are not equals to the Zn

2+

ions

in order to keep the charge neutral of ZnO

the interstitial Zn atoms must exist as compensation acceptor impurity which comes from the substitution of Zn atoms in ZnO by Nd

meanwhile the density of exciton were also changed.Besides the luminosity of luminous peaks were also changed by the lattice deformation and the density change of ZnO.