1. Catching the light: silver micro-dunes on glass by ion implantation

Abstract

The formation of surface patterns is a common phenomenon in the natural world. Is it possible to imitate nature and artificially form nanopatterns on the surfaces of materials? Among the different techniques to achieve this is ion implantation, which basically consists of ionic irradiation of the surface of materials. In this article, we present the study of pattern formation on the surface of silica glass implanted with 1.2 MeV silver ions. Using electronic and atomic force microscopy, the formation of a ripple pattern (like to desert dunes) is observed on the surface of the implanted glass. However, a more careful analysis using electron microscopy, together with optical absorption studies, reveals the synthesis of nanoparticles with plasmonic properties along the ripple crests. Therefore, ion implantation can be used to form periodic plasmonic surface nanostructures with applications in photonics.