Effect of Low-Energy Ion Assistance on the Structure and Optical Absorption of a-CH:Ag Composite Coatings

The effect of changes in the energy and current of low-energy (100–600 eV) ion stimulation on the structure of carbon hydrogenated coatings with silver inclusions (a-CH:Ag) synthesized by pulsed-plasma deposition is investigated. Transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, electron-energy loss spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and absorption in the UV and visible regions are used to study the influence of the stimulation energy and current on the manifestation of ion-induced effects, such as defect formation, selective silver sputtering, surface diffusion, and silver particle segregation.