Abstract
Submonolayer ultrathin films of Co were grown on Al2O3(0001) via molecular beam epitaxy at room temperature. In situ noncontact atomic force microscopy showed that the as-grown sample was relatively smooth. Images obtained after annealing the film in situ at 400°C revealed the formation of small dots with an average diameter of ≈17.6nm and a height of 0.39nm. The magnetization as a function of temperature for zero-field cooling with the magnetic field parallel to the surface of the sample provided the evidence of superparamagnetic behavior of the nanoparticles with a blocking temperature of ≈130K. The average magnetic moment per atom of the particles was estimated by adjusting the Langevin function for the magnetic hysteresis loop measured at room temperature with the field in the plane of the sample, and the result is in good agreement with the bulk cobalt moment.
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