AbstractSingle crystals of sapphire were implanted at room temperature with 300 keV-Ag+. The metal precipitate was characterized by a multitechnique approach including RBS, optical absorption and Raman spectroscopy. RBS measurements were used to determine the depth-profiles of the implanted ions. Ag depth profiles, derived from RBS are in good agreement with the results predicted by Monte Carlo simulations. Linear absorption spectroscopy has been used to characterize the effects of the ion fluence on the optical properties of the metal colloids in the UV-Vis region. The broad absorption band due to the surface plasmon resonance shows an appreciable red-shift when the fluence of bombarding ions increases. Raman scattering from acoustic vibrations of the silver clusters progressively shifts toward the laser frequency with increasing implantation dose. From low-frequency Raman spectra an evaluation of the average size of metal aggregates was derived.
