Sliding charge-density-wave transport in micron-sized wires of Rb0.30MoO3

We study sliding charge-density-wave (CDW) transport in mesoscopic wires of Rb0.30MoO3 The wires, with a width of 2 mu m and contact spacings down to 1 mu m, have been patterned into thin films by use of optical and electron- beam lithographic techniques. CDW sliding is evident from the nonlinear I(V ) characteristics below the Peierls temperature. The threshold field E-T fo r depinning of the CDW is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than in bulk Rb0.3 0MoO3 crystals, and increases exponentially with decreasing temperature dow n to about 50 K. At lower temperatures, the shape of the I(V) curves change s, and nonlinearity sets in at lower voltages. The observed transport prope rties are discussed in terms of CDW sliding and, at low temperatures, in te rms of hopping of solitonlike excitations in the CDW lattice. [S0163-1829(9 9)16431-2].