Study of the ordinary size effect in the electrical conductivity of Bi nanowires

Abstract

The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity of a cylindrical nanowire is investigated. The calculations are performed for thin wires with an ellipsoidal Fermi surface, based on the Fuchs-Sondheimer boundary scattering theory given for thin metallic films with spherical Fermi surfaces. It is seen that the conductivity depends on the process of scattering of the carrier on the surface, and on the thickness of the wire for wires with diameters smaller than the carrier's mean free path. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of a Bi nanowire is calculated and compared with the experimental results reported by Gurvitch, where good agreement is observed.