Interaction of high-power laser pulses with glasses containing implanted metallic nanoparticles

Sodium calcium silicate glasses with Ag+ implanted ions are studied. The io n implantation conditions are as follows: the energy is 60 keV, the dose is 7 x 10(16) cm(-2) , and the ion current density is 10 muA/cm(2) . Ion impl antation provides the formation of a composite layer that incorporates silv er nanoparticles in the surface region of glass. The size distribution of n anoparticles over the depth in the composite layer is strongly nonuniform. The effect of a high-power pulsed excimer laser on the composite layer is i nvestigated. It is found that, under laser irradiation, the size of silver nanoparticles in the implanted layer decreases but the size distribution of nanoparticles over the depth remains nonuniform, even though it becomes sl ightly narrower compared to that observed prior to irradiation. The experim ental results are interpreted in terms of the effects of the melting of gla ss and metallic particles on a nanosecond scale. (C) 2001 MAIK "Nauka/Inter periodica".