[Effects of morphology evolution on surface plasmon resonance of nano-Ag films treated by different thermal annealing temperatures].

The nano-Ag films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering technique, and all of them were treated by rapid thermal annealing at different temperatures. The structure, the morphology and the optical properties of the annealed nano-Ag films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. The experimental results show that the open area fraction of the film and spacing between islands or nanoparticles increase with the increase of the annealing temperature, while the aspect ratio decreases. The anisotropic worm-like island films have been reshaped into isotropic nanospheres. The surface plasmon (SP) resonance band blue shifts and narrows continuously with increasing heating temperature. Analyses show that the SP resonance of the nano-Ag films can be modulated by morphology evolution induced by rapid thermal annealing.