DISCRETE RESISTANCE FLUCTUATIONS IN PRESSURE-TYPE POINT CONTACTS

In high ohmic pressure-type metallic point contacts (resistance range 50 Ohm to 3 k Ohm) the point-contact resistance is observed to switch randomly between two or more discrete levels. This effect can be expla ined by the motion or reorientation of single defects, thereby changin g their cross section for electron scattering. From the temperature- a nd voltage-dependence of the characteristic times of the fluctuations, electromigration parameters for a defect in silver are extracted.