An extensive characterization of the microstructure of a large variety of CoFe-Ag(Cu) and CoFeCu granular alloys prepared by r.f. sputtering is presented. The resulting microstructure is described in terms of the ferromagnetic concentration, from the low concentration limit (x ～ 0.10 by volume) to values near the volume percolation threshold (X_th = 0.50-0.55). The influence of the annealing procedure on the sample texture, particle size, crystal structure and strains, substrate-film stress and CoFe dilution in the matrix, among others, is also studied. This work is relevant to the complex magnetic and magnetotran- sport properties of granular alloys and their subtle and crucial dependence on the microstructure.
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