Since As doping in ZnO using ion implantation must always follow a damage caused by the energetic As ion penetration, there is a growing demand for crystallinity recovery from the surface damage through the post-implantation annealing. The results obtained from our experiments using double crystal X-ray diffraction and the atomic force microscopy indicate that the crystallinity recovery of the As-implanted sample presents the optimum condition when it is annealed at 800 degrees C for 1 h. From the Raman and photoluminescence measurements through the post-implantation annealing, the As-related optical properties were observed in As-implanted ZnO crystals. Thereby, we confirmed that the surface of the unimplanted ZnO was clearly converted into As-doped p-type ZnO layer by As ions. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.