Temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity in amorphous metals

Abstract

In amorphous metals the electrical resistivity increases linearly in the temperature range from 2 to 40 K. This result differs fundamentally from the nonlinear behaviour known for crystalline metals and it suggests the conduction electrons not to be scattered by the vibrations of the amorphous point lattice. The temperature dependent part of the resistivity in anaorphous metals is explained with scattering of conduction electrons by fluctuations of p-electrons. Properties of Amorphous MetalsAmorphous metals can be produced by condensation of the metal vapour onto a cold substratum [l]. In general, additions of other components are necessary. Amorphous metals are metastable and exist only below a temperature of about the same order of magnitude as the Debye temperature. The transition "amorphous-crystalline" occurs irreversibly and is connected with a latent heat [2,3]. From electronand X-ray diffraction experiments [4,5] it is known that the structure of amorphous metals is very much the same as that of the corresponding liquid metals [6]. Crystalline metal films growing from the vapour phase show elastic stress. The same is true for films of amorphous semiconductors and glasses. Amorphous metals, however, grow without any mechanical stress [7]. In analyzing this fact one has to keep in mind that in the crystalline state these metals have covalent bonds due to the p-electrons. The result for amorphous metals seems to indicate that these covalent bonds are broken, which means, the metal atoms in the amorphous phase are less tightly bound than those in the crystalline phase. Amorphous metals have a higher specific heat than crystalline metals [3,8]. Ewert [8] measured the specific heat between 5 and 8 K and, in the case of Bi, he found a T3-1aw, corresponding to the vibrations of an elastic continuum. The Debye temperature of the amorphous * Parts of this work have been reported by D. Korn at the 6th Summer School for Superconductivity of the "Fachausschul3 Tiefe Temperaturen der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft" in Pegnitz/Oberfranken, 1970.

Transport properties and atomic structure of ion-beam-deposited W, Pd and Pt nanostructures

“…For Pt and Pd structures the fits indicate that two scattering processes influence the resistivity. The quasi-linear term −bT α might have the same origin as that observed for Ge, Sn and Bi amorphous alloys [24] and interpreted in terms of the scattering of electrons coming from two different bands and with different effective masses [25].…”

Amorphes Metall — ein neues Material

“…11. Der Elektrische Widerstand von amorpher, kristalliner und fliissiger Bronze als Funktion der Teinperatur [6].…”

“…Fur amorphes Zinn mit 80% Kupfer ist die Kristallisationstemperatur am grogten und hoher als Raumtemperatur (300 K). Augerdem zeigt Abbildung 12, dag amorphe Bronze im Konzentrationsbereich zwischen 10% und 80% Kupferanteil durch Aufdampfen erzeugt werden kann, bei kleineren und grogeren Kupferkonzentrationen entsteht immer kristalline Bronze[6]. Im Vergleich zu amorphen Aufdampfschichten sind Legierungen, die aus der fliissigen Phase gewonnen werden, im allgemeinen in einem sehr viel kleineren Konzentrationsbereich amorph herstellbar, oft sogar nur bei einer bestimmten Konzentration.…”