AN OPTICAL STUDY OF SILVER PARTICLES FABRICATED BY ION-IMPLANTATION IN A SILICON POLYMER

Polymer layers containing Ag were fabricated by 30 keV Ag-iron implant ation into viscous and solid-state silicone organic matrices. The opti cal properties of the composites are presented by means of transmissio n spectra in the range from 250 to 870 nm for different ion doses of 0 .05 - 1.8 x 10(17) ions cm(-2). The absorption at the wavelength of th e surface plasmon resonance of Ag particles at doses higher than 10(16 ) ions cm(-2) was determined. A remarkable red shift in the absorption maximum from 405 to 505 mm was observed with increasing dose and with a change in the viscosity of the irradiated polymer. the optical spec tra of the implanted polymer were analysed using the Maxwell-Garnett e ffective-medium theory. The dose dependences of the calculated value o f the metal volume fraction in the implanted polymer suggest the possi bility of achieving a higher degree of coagulation of introduced metal ions to metal particles in a viscous polymer than in a solid-state ma trix.