Temperature dependent electrical resistivity in nanocrystalline gold films made by advanced gas deposition

Abstract

Nanocrystalline gold films were made by advanced gas deposition. The mean crystallite diameter lay between ∼10 and ∼80 nm depending on substrate temperature during deposition and annealing post-treatment, as found by x-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy. Temperature dependent resistivity ρ was measured in the $\text{4<T<300\hspace{0.05em}}\mathrm{K}$ range. The log ρ versus log T relationship displayed a discontinuity at a temperature $T_{\mathrm{cr}}$ lying between 10 and 7.2 K depending on crystallite size. This can be understood as a result of ρ being dominated by electron scattering against phonons and grain boundaries above and below $T_{\mathrm{cr}},$ respectively.