A simple and effective method for producing Ag nanoparticles at room temperature and on the time scale of several minutes on the surface of hydrogenated Si nitride (SiNx:H) films is presented. Depending on the stoichiometry of SiNx:H layers, Ag nanostructures with different sizes and densities can be produced. The structural properties of the deposited Ag nanoparticles are described in details with respect to the stoichiometries of SiNx:H films. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.