Swift heavy ion assisted growth of silver nanoparticles embedded in hafnium oxide matrix

Abstract

In the present work, we report on the swift heavy ion induced formation of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in the hafnium oxide (HfO2) matrix. HfO2 and Ag multilayer thin films have been deposited on both silicon (Si) and quartz substrates to study the irradiation induced structural and optical properties. The evolution of the particle size, shape, and optical properties have been studied by using transmission electron microscopy, grazing incident x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) blue shift indicates the effect of the surrounding dielectric on Ag NPs. The present study reveals that the tuning of the wavelength of surface plasmon resonance up to 120 nm with ion fluence is achieved. Thermal spike calculations were employed to estimate the rise of lattice temperature and, subsequently, the diffusivity of metal atoms during temperature spike is estimated.