Optical properties of nano-structured material in ion-implanted polymer

Being of importance for applications of ion-implanted PMMA in integrated optics, optoelectronics and optical communication, we have studied the optical properties (controlled through the complex refractive index) of nano-structured material in silicon ion (Si⁺) implanted polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). PMMA was implanted with Si⁺ ions accelerated to a relatively low energy of 50 keV at a high fluence of 3.2×10¹⁵ Si⁺/cm². The carbon nano-clustered material in the ion-modified surface layer of Si⁺-implanted PMMA of a thickness of about 100 nm was optically characterized by reflectance measurements, as well as by reflection ellipsometry at a wavelength of 632.8 nm (He-Ne laser)