We report the preparation of p-type ZnO thin films on (0001) sapphire substrates by a combination of sol-gel and ion-implantation techniques. The results of the Hall-effect measurements carried out at room temperature indicate that the N-implanted ZnO:Al films annealed at 600 C have converted to p-type conduction with a hole concentration of 1.6× 10 18 cm 3 , a hole mobility of 3.67 cm 2 /V· s and a minimum resistivity of 4.80 cm· . Ion-beam induced damage recovery has been investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and optical transmittance measurements. Results show that diffraction peaks and PL intensities are decreased by N ion implantation, but they nearly recover after annealing at 600 C. Our results demonstrate a promising approach to fabricate p-type ZnO at a low cost. We report the preparation of p-type ZnO thin films on (0001) sapphire substrates by a combination of sol-gel and ion-implantation techniques. The results of the Hall-effect measurements carried out at room temperature indicate that the N-implanted ZnO : Al films annealed at 600 C have been converted to p-type conduction with a hole concentration of 1.6 × 10 18 cm 3, a hole mobility of 3.67 cm 2 / V · s and a minimum resistivity of 4.80 cm ·. Ion-beam induced Damage recovery has been investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and optical transmittance measurements. Results show that diffraction peaks and PL intensities are decreased by N ion implantation, but they nearly recover after annealing at 600 C. Our results demonstrate a promising approach to fabricate p-type ZnO at a low cost.