rf reactive co-sputtered Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles in SiO2 thin films

We have studied formation of Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles in sputtered SiO₂ thin films. Silica thin films containing Au-Ag nanoparticles were deposited on quartz substrates using rf reactive magnetron co-sputtering technique. The films heat-treated in reducing Ar + H₂ atmosphere at different temperatures. They were analyzed by using UV-vis spectrophotometry, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) methods for their optical, surface morphological as well as structural and chemical properties. The optical absorption of the Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles illustrated one plasmon resonance absorption peak located at 450 nm between the absorption bands of pure Au and Ag nanoparticles at 400 and 520 nm, respectively, for the thin films annealed at 800 °C. XPS results showed that the alloys were in metallic state, and they had a greater tendency to lose electrons as compared to their corresponding monometallic state. Using lateral force microscopy analysis, we have found that the alloy particles were uniformly distributed on the surface with grain size of about 20 nm.