Abstract
Au/SiO2 nano-composite multilayers were prepared by helicon plasma sputtering. The Au particles dispersed in the SiO2 matrix grew with increasing deposition time in an initial time less than 10 s, then changed from a network-like to film-like microstructure with increasing deposition time. The optimum deposition time for preparing the Au particles was 8 s, and the size of Au particles was 6 to 8 nm. The absorption peak due to the surface plasmon resonance of Au particles was observed at a wavelength of 560 nm for as-deposited Au/SiO2 thin films containing 3.4 to 10.3 vol% Au. The intensity of the absorption peak increased with increasing Au content, and the optimum Au content was about 10.3 vol%.
