Structural and optical properties of localized surface plasmon resonance sensor prepared by metal ion implantation: Influences of energy and fluence

The Ag ions with the same fluence and different energies as well as the Au ions with the same energy and different fluences were separately implanted into SiO₂ wafers to prepare Ag-E30, Ag-E40, Ag-E50, Au-F6.0, Au-F4.5, and Au-F3.0 samples as the candidates for the localized surface plasmon resonance sensor. The prepared samples' structural and optical properties were studied in depth. The results revealed that among Ag-E30, Ag-E40, and Ag-E50 samples, Ag-E40 sample had a single nanocomposite surface layer, and its characteristic reflection peak linearly depended in position on the refractive index of overlay owing to the stronger interparticle interaction. For Au-F6.0, Au-F4.5, and Au-F3.0 samples, they all featured a single nanocomposite surface layer and showed a linear dependence of the characteristic reflection peak's position and the overlay's refractive index. Considering the cost of preparation, Au-F3.0 sample should be an optimal sensor although its refractive index sensitivity was slightly smaller.