Surface Roughness and Optical Characterization of Nanoporous Silver Films Synthesized by One-Step Dealloying.

The nano-topography, surface roughness and optical properties of nanoporous silver (NPS) films are investigated as a function of the dealloying agent using atomic force microscopy and near-field optical microscopy. Detailed metrological analysis is performed to measure the effect of the dealloying agent at the nano scale. It was found that the nano-roughness formed on the surface of the films greatly affects the optical properties of the NPS film.