Cobalt nanoparticles deposited and embedded in AlN: Magnetic, magneto-optical, and morphological properties

We present a structural, morphological, magnetic, and magneto-optical study of cobalt nanoparticles deposited on 50Å AlN∕c-sapphire substrates and embedded in an AlN matrix. The dependence of the properties of Co nanoclusters deposited on AlN with growth temperature and amount of deposited Co are studied and discussed. Also we directly compare the properties of as grown and AlN embedded Co nanoclusters and show that the AlN matrix has a strong impact on their magnetic and magneto-optical properties.