We report on aggregation of Co on a smooth amorphous alumina surface, durin
g sputter deposition of Co atoms at room temperature. The atomic structure
of the Co grains appears to be size dependent: hcp in the larger bean-shape
d clusters (greater than 3 nm), and often fee in the smaller, almost spheri
cal clusters. The deposits show relatively narrow distributions of the clus
ter sizes and of the intercluster distances, which results in a noticeable
local order and explains how charge blocking (the so-called Coulomb blockad
e) could be observed in large sets of such particles by Schelp et al. (1997
, Phys. Rev. B, 56, R5747). Electrical percolation occurs at a nominal thic
kness of about 2 nm.