CORRELATION BETWEEN FREE-CLUSTER PROPERTIES AND THIN FILMS ELABORATED BY LOW-ENERGY CLUSTER-BEAM DEPOSITION

The properties of thin films obtained by low-energy cluster-beam deposition are reviewed. The main characteristics are the nanoscale granular structure and the memory effect of the free-cluster properties. The first point is evidenced by the specific magnetic properties of transition-metal films, which are intermediate between amorphous and bulk phases, while the second point is illustrated from carbon films exhibiting the electronic structure of the free carbon cluster.