Formation of silver nanoparticles in soda±lime silicate glass by ion implantation near room temperature A.L. Stepanov a,b , D.E. Hole a, * , P.D. Townsend a a School of Engineering, University of Sussex, Pevensey Building, Brighton BN1 9QH, UK b Laboratory of Radiation Physics, Kazan Physical±Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Sibirsky Trakt 10/7, 420029, Kazan, Russian Federation Received 22 February 1999; received in revised form 14 July 1999 Abstract The synthesis of silver nanoparticles in soda±lime silicate glass near room temperature is reported. Nanoparticles were prepared during 60 keV Ag-implantation with doses from 2 to 4  10 16 ions/cm 2 at a current density of 10 lA/cm 2 . Detailed evaluations were made of the dose contribution at the bulk-glass temperatures of 20°C, 35°C, 50°C and 60°C. The particle size distribution was assessed by monitoring optical re¯ectance from both the implanted and rear face of the samples. Depth data were provided by Rutherford backscattering analysis. Samples prepared with a high dose at 60°C were characterised by more complex re¯ectance spectra, with overlapping peaks, compared to re¯ectance data for room temperature implants. Additionally, comparisons between implants of the same dose and beam conditions for glass samples of dierent-thickness show the in¯uence of surface heating and its in¯uence on Ag nanoparticle for- mation. The factors, which in¯uence the growth of metal nanoparticles and the dierences in the observed optical properties are discussed. Ó 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 78.66.Vs; 78.66.Jg; 81.05.Ys; 78.20 1. Introduction Ion implantation has become a widely used method in material science technology for forma- tion of metal nanoparticles in dielectric matrices [1]. For example, there are numerous publications on synthesis of Ag, Au and Cu nanoparticles in various glasses for non-linear optical applications [2,3], Sn nanoparticles in silicate glass on silicon wafers for integration of electrical and optical functions on single chip [4], or Fe clusters in sap- phire for magnetic-storage devices [5]. Implants with multiple special ions have also lead to for- mation of many types of semiconductor nano- crystals [6]. Depending on the implantation parameters, such as the ion energy, ion dose, dose rate and implant temperature, a variety of modi- ®cations to the ®nal nanoparticle preparation can be achieved. Physical characteristics of metal/glass composites are very sensitive to the shape, size and the size distribution of the nanoparticles and their depth distribution function [7], which are deter- mined by thermodynamic conditions during the ion implantation. The aim of this current work is to estimate the in¯uence of implant temperature Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 260 (1999) 65±74 www.elsevier.com/locate/jnoncrysol * Corresponding author: Tel.: +44-1273 678 193; fax: +44- 1273 678 193. E-mail address: d.hole@sussex.ac.uk (D.E. Hole). 0022-3093/99/$ - see front matter Ó 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 0 2 2 - 3 0 9 3 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 5 6 1 - X