Size effects in the electrical resistivity of polycrystalline nanowires

Citation
C. Durkan et Me. Welland, Size effects in the electrical resistivity of polycrystalline nanowires, PHYS REV B, 61(20), 2000, pp. 14215-14218
Citations number
19
Categorie Soggetti
Apllied Physucs/Condensed Matter/Materiales Science
Journal title
PHYSICAL REVIEW B
ISSN journal
01631829 → ACNP
Volume
61
Issue
20
Year of publication
2000
Pages
14215 - 14218
Database
ISI
SICI code
0163-1829(20000515)61:20<14215:SEITER>2.0.ZU;2-W
Abstract
Grain-boundary and surface scattering are known to increase the electrical resistivity of thin metallic films and wires. The length scale at which the se produce appreciable effects is of the order of the electronic mean free path. For the well-studied case of thin films, both mechanisms can, in prin ciple, be used to explain the observed thickness dependence on resistivity. In order to evaluate which of these mechanisms is more relevant, we have c arried out an experimental study of the width dependence of the resistivity of narrow thin-film polycrystalline gold wires (nanowires), and computed t he expected behavior on the basis of both surface and grain-boundary scatte ring mechanisms independently. We find that the resistivity increases as wi re width decreases in a manner which is dependent on the mean grain size an d cannot be explained adequately by either model alone. We propose a modifi cation to the well-known model of Mayadas and Shatzkes, incorporating the v ariation of mean grain size on wire dimensions.