Convenient ways of producing nanocrystalline materials are plasma surface engineering techniques, in particular the Impulse Plasma Deposition method (IPD) [1]. The characteristic feature of this method is the nucleation on ions, which leads to the thermodynamic stabilisation of high - temperature phase clusters.
The dominant opinion concerning film condensation in the IPD method is that the clusters migrating on the substrate surface collide with one another and than they coalesce in the way similar to that in sintering [2]. The last research [3] indicate that in spite of the impulse character of the mass and energy transport to the separation surface, the IPD growth also involves a diffusion process that may lead to the formation of inter-metallic phases. Moreover, the mass transfer between the amorphous matrix [4] and the particles that proceeds through the local diffusion of atoms has been reported [5].
During the studies related to the surface condensation of the film material has been observed process of diffusion of the film material in the way similar to the Ostwald ripening [6]. The aim of the study was to investigate the mobility of the clusters, cluster agglomerates and the particles, which were produced by overgrowth of the clusters by the material supported to the substrate surface in form of ions or atoms. Based on the results, we assume that diffusion process is hardly slowed or even stopped when the dimension of the particles exceeds 50 nm.

References
[1] Konwerska-Hrabowska J, Zdunek K, Szmidt J, Sokolowska A, Nowicki L. J Chem Vapour Deposition 1994; 31: 56.
[2] Michalski A, Romanowski Z. J Crystal Growth 1983; 61: 675.
[3] Nowakowska-Langier K, Wierzbinski E, Zdunek K, Kopcewicz M. Vacuum 2004 - in revision.
[4] Sokolowska A, Zdunek K, Grigoriew M, Romanowski Z. J Mater Sci 1986; 21: 763.
[5] Wierzbinski E, Mirkowska M, Zdunek K. Vacuum 2004 - in revision.
[6] Ostwald W. Z Phys Chem 1900; 34: 495.

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1. STAGES OF THE LAYER GROWTH DURING THE IMPULSE PLASMA DEPOSITION METHOD.
2. Magnetic nanostructure of Fe-Ti alloy layers produced by IPD