X-ray diffraction, M??ssbauer effect and magnetisation investigations have been performed on
sputtered Fe40(Al2O3)60 thin films. Ultrafine Fe particles of nanometer size in an amorphous Al2O3 matrix
have been formed by annealing in the temperature range from 100?C to 500?C. Their particle sizes,
however, show a rather wide distribution. M??ssbauer spectra are constituted of both paramagnetic and
ferromagnetic contributions. The paramagnetic contribution is associated with small grains of Fe, whereas
the magnetic component is contributed by large iron grains. This assumption is supported by the ZFC- and
FC-measurements, in which the "blocking" temperatures of 60 and 90 K were evidenced for as-deposited
and 200?C-annealed films, respectively. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
