Semiclassical electronic transport calculations in multilayered granular alloys

JULIAN MILANO; LLOIS, A. M.

JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS

Año: 2007 vol. 102 p. 13705 - 13705

0021-8979

We have calculated the electrical conductivity in the current-in-plane geometry of multilayeredgranular alloys composed of Co clusters embedded in Ag alternating with pure Ag layers. Inparticular, we have paid attention to the conductivity behavior as a function of Ag layer thickness,Co clusters’ size, and degree of percolation. The electronic structure is self-consistently calculatedwithin the unrestricted Hartree–Fock approximation using a parametrized tight binding Hamiltonianwhich includes a Hubbard-like term. The conductivity tensor is obtained by using the semiclassicalBoltzmann equation in the anisotropic relaxation time approximation.We have used a s−d Mott-likescattering model for the electronic mean free path taking into account the Sondheimer’s picture forelectronic transport in thin films.We find that the experimental conductivity behavior at coalescencecan be explained through the electronic band contribution. The conductivity behavior of continuousmultilayers is already attained in the very early stage of percolation, as in the experiments.