Abstract
We study the crystalline state of a very thin AlCuFe film, sputter deposited at the relatively low substrate temperature of 460 °C. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that the layer consists of isolated quasicrystalline nanoparticles, although, at the given composition and deposition temperature, the quasicrystalline state is metastable. The nucleation process of the quasicrystalline phase is discussed in terms of a liquidlike to solid transition of nanoclusters.