Well-ordered arranging of Ag nanoparticles in SiO/Si by ion implantation

Takahiro, Katsumi*; Ninakuchi, Yuki*; Kawaguchi, Kazuhiro; Isshiki, Toshiyuki*; Nishio, Koji*; Sasase, Masato*; Yamamoto, Shunya; Nishiyama, Fumitaka*

A nanometer-sized metallic particle embedded in a transparent dielectric exhibits a nonlinear susceptibility, and going to be applied to nonlinear optical devices. In the present study, well-ordered arrangements of Ag nanoparticles have been found for Ag-implanted SiO. Thermally grown SiO on Si were implanted with 350 keV-Ag ions to fluences of 0.37-1.2 10 ions/cm. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy reveal the presence of a two-dimensional array of Ag nanoparticles of 25-40 nm in diameter located at a depth of 130 nm, together with the self-organization of tiny Ag nanoparticles aligned along the SiO/Si interface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction confirm the stability of these Ag nanoparticles embedded in the SiO/Si is found to be stable against oxidation and sulfidation when stored in ambient conditions for more than one and a half year.