Pt nanocrystals formed by ion implantation: A defect-mediated nucleation process

The influence of ion irradiation of SiO2 on the size of metal nanocrystals (NCs) formed by ion implantation has been investigated. Thin SiO2 films were irradiated with high-energy Ge ions then implanted with Pt ions. Without Ge irradiation, the largest Pt NCs were observed beyond the Pt projected range. With irradiation, Ge-induced structural modification of the SiO2 layer yielded a decrease in Pt NC size with increasing Ge fluence at such depths. A defect-mediated NC nucleation mechanism is proposed and a simple yet effective means of modifying and controlling the Pt NC size is demonstrated.