Nanosecond pulse laser and furnace annealing of silver nanoparticles formed by implantation in silicate glass

Soda-lime silicate glasses implanted with 60 keV Ag+ ions with a dose of 3 X 1016 ion/cm(2) at an ion current density of 10 gA/cm(2) were investigated. As a result of the ion implantation, a composite layer with silver nanoparticles is synthesised in the near-surface region. This layer is characterised by high non-uniformity in the size distribution of these particles over the depth of the layer. Subsequent pulsed laser irradiation in combination with furnace annealing makes it possible to modify this composite layer, improving the uniformity in the size distribution of the nanoparticles. This is particularly promising for development of the technology for fabrication of non-linear optical materials. To control the parameters of the obtained layers a method based on the analysis of the optical reflection spectra measured on the implanted side and on the rear side of a glass substrate is applied. In addition, factors influencing the experimental data are discussed and the optical extinction spectra of the nanoparticles in the glass are modelled using Mie theory. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.