Ying Qian , M.S. Alabama A&M university, 1996. 43pp. Thesis advisor: Daryush Ila

The implantation of Ag into MgO (100) single crystals, followed by thermal annealing at 1100oC, leads to dramatic changes in their optical properties. The changes in the optical properties are due to the presence of small Ag clusters which are formed in the annealed samples. The small Ag clusters are obtained by thermal annealing of the implanted MgO crystals between 600C and 1100C to investigate the changes in cluster sizes and to correlate them with changes in their optical properties. Sample characterization is carried out using optical spectrophotometry to confirm the effective presence of Ag clusters, Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) to study the distribution profile of Ag clusters, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to identify the phases precipitated.

KEY WORDS: Ag clusters, optical absorption, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry,

MgO (100) single crystals