Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the surface of n-Si/SiO₂/Ni sample irradiated by ¹⁹⁷Au²⁶⁺ ions with energy 350 MeV and fluence 5×10⁸ cm^-2:  (а) – phase-contrast image;  (b) – distribution bar chart of nickel ougrowth heights within the scanned region.

SEM images of n-Si/SiO₂/Ni sample, irradiated by ¹³¹Xe¹⁷⁺ ions with energy 350 MeV and fluence 5×10⁸ cm^-2: (c) top view; (d) cross-sectional view.

AFM images of n-Si/SiO2/Cu sample, irradiated by ¹⁹⁷Au²⁶⁺ ions with energy 350 MeV and fluence  5×10⁸ cm^-2: (а) phase-contrast image;  (b) distribution bar chart of copper ougrowth heights within the scanned region.

(c) SEM image of the n-Si/SiO₂/Cu sample irradiated by ¹³¹Xe¹⁷⁺ ions with energy 350 MeV and fluence 5×10⁸ cm^-2 after its shearing by the focused ion beam. The image was obtained by the “Cross-section” method.

X-ray diffraction pattern of Ni in pores of SiO2 layer. Reflexes of silicon substrate and silicon dioxide are exclude.

Reflexes (220), (200) and (111) which are characteristic for polycrystalline metallic nickel. Ni crystallites are deposited in the form of nanoclusters with dimensions 30-50 nm which are stochasticlly oriented in the pore. A formation of FCC Ni phase with a characteristic unit cell parameter a = 0.352 nm takes place during the electrodeposition.