Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
The evolution of the mean size and the size distribution of Au nanoclusters(NCs) under high-energy ion irradiation has been studied. Au NCs weresynthesized in a 480 nm thick SiO2 layer by 330 keV Au+ implantation and subsequent annealing at T = 1000 °C for1h in dry O2. XTEM images show a 70 nm thick layer of Au NCs,being centered at the projected ion range Rp(330keV) = 100 nm,having a mean NC size of 5 nm at Rp, and resembling the broadLifshiz-Slyozov-Wagner (LSW) size distribution of diffusion controlledOstwald ripening. Post-irradiation of the Au NCs by 4.5 MeV gold ions wasused in order to tailor their size and size distribution. The high-energy Au+ irradiations were performed at 190...210 °C with a fluenceof (0.5...1.0)×1016 cm-2. By the post-irradiation nogold was deposited into the SiO2 layer, the Au+ ionscome to rest in the (001)Si substrate at Rp(4.5MeV) = 1[.proportional]m. XTEM images of the post-irradiated Au NCs show a strongdecrease of their mean size as well as the width of their size distribution.The observed NC evolution under ion irradiation agrees with recenttheoretical predictions and kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations.