GRANULAR COBALT IN A METALLIC MATRIX

Ultrafine face-centered-cubic Co particles in a conducting Cu matrix have been produced by annealing of sputtered metastable CoxCu1-x alloy films (0.10 less-than-or-equal-to x less-than-or-equal-to 0.80). The average size of the particles, and therefore the magnetic properties of these materials, can be easily controlled by the processing parameters. Single-domain behavior results in coercivities in excess of 600 Oe, while the magnetization is determined by the choice of alloy composition. The evolution of the structural and magnetic properties have been studied as a function of annealing conditions, and are compared to those previously observed with Fe-based materials.