Size and shape control of silver nanoparticle in RF-biased inductively coupled plasma

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have promising applications due to their tunable physical, optical, and biological properties. Plasma ion–surface interactions offer a low-temperature method for producing high-purity, well-dispersed Ag NPs. In this work, we investigated how key plasma ion parameters—namely energy, density, and fluence—influence the formation of Ag NPs in RF-biased inductively coupled plasma. Our findings demonstrate that although ion energy plays a vital role in determining nanoparticle characteristics, fine control over the particle size is more effectively realized by regulating the number of incident ions. Notably, this ion number control enables modulation of both the size and shape of Ag NPs, even under low-energy conditions. We further established a process window where independent control over nanoparticle size and number density can be achieved through appropriate tuning of the plasma ion properties.