Formation of dense and aligned planar arrangements of Pb nanoparticles at silica/silicon interfaces

Abstract

The ion beam synthesis of Pb nanoparticles (NPs) in silica/silicon films is studied in terms of the combination of a two-step annealing process consisting of a low temperature long time aging treatment followed by a high temperature short time furnace annealing. The samples are analyzed through Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The aging process leads to the suppression of the classical homogeneous nucleation of metallic Pb NPs in the silica, thus promoting Pb redistribution during the high temperature annealing. This causes the formation of dense bi-dimensional NP arrays located at the silica-silicon interface, presenting small size dispersion. Show more