Structural and optical characterization of Rf-sputtered metal cluster doped silica thin films

In this paper the preparation and characterization of nanostructured materials via co-sputtering of SiO2 and silver followed by a suitable heat-treatment for size and fill factor control is described. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray and UV–Vis spectroscopy have been carried out to evaluate the cluster size and the optical properties of the composite films, which are a direct consequence of quantum and dielectric confinement effect. Computer simulations have been performed in order to compare the experimental data with theory. Tuning of cluster size and optical properties of the composite thin films is demonstrated by varying deposition conditions and following heat-treatments.