Raman scattering studies on ag nanocluster composites formed by ion implantation into silica

Highly-pure amorphous silica slides were implanted by 200keV Ag ions with doses ranged from 1 x 10(16) to 2 x 10(17) ions/ cm(2). Optical absorption spectra show that Ag nanoclusters with various sizes have been formed. Enhancement of surface enhanced Raman scattering signal by a factor up to about 10(3) was obtained by changing the Ag particle size. The silica was damaged by the implanted Ag ions, and the large compression stress on the silica leads to the shift of Raman peaks. New bands at 1368 and 1586 cm(-1), which are attributed to the vibration of Ag-O bond and O(2) molecules in silica, are observed in the samples with doses higher than 1 X 10(17) ions/cm(2).