Effect of oxygen adsorption on the electrical resistance of thin films

Abstract

Thin films of Pb 0.8 Sn 0.2 Te of varying thicknesses deposited by the flash evaporation method showed considerable change in resistance with time when exposed to oxygen or atmosphere. The change in resistance is found to decrease with increase in thickness and with increase in substrate temperature. The observed behaviour is explained by an oxygen adsorption model, which is further supported by the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the films.