Nanocrystalline cobalt films prepared under ultrafast condensation conditions

The magnetic and electrical properties and the temperature dependence of th ese properties of cobalt films prepared at high condensation rates (10(5)-1 0(6) Angstrom/s) are investigated. Incremented annealing reveals several no nequilibrium states of cobalt in transition from the as-prepared metastable structure to the ordinary hcp structure. The anomalies of the properties a re analyzed from the standpoint of the nanocrystalline state of the samples . Model concepts of microcluster formations in the investigated films are a lso discussed. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7834(98)02411 -3].