Electron-electron scatttering in Sn-doped indium oxide thick films

Abstract

We have measured the low-field magnetoresistances (MRs) of a series of Sn-doped indium oxide thick films in the temperature $T$ range 4--35 K. The electron dephasing rate $1/{\tau }_{\phi }$ as a function of $T$ for each film was extracted by comparing the MR data with the three-dimensional (3D) weak-localization theoretical predictions. We found that the extracted $1/{\tau }_{\phi }$ varies linearly with $T^{3/2}$. Furthermore, at a given $T$, $1/{\tau }_{\phi }$ varies linearly with $k_F^{-5/2}{l}^{-3/2}$, where $k_F$ is the Fermi wavenumber, and $l$ is the electron elastic mean free path. These features are well explained in terms of the small-energy-transfer electron-electron scattering time in 3D disordered conductors. This electron dephasing mechanism dominates over the electron-phonon ($e$-ph) scattering process because the carrier concentrations in our films are $\sim$ 3 orders of magnitude lower than those in typical metals, which resulted in a greatly suppressed $e$-ph relaxation rate.

5 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Origin of ferromagnetism in (Zn,Co)O from magnetization and spin-dependent magnetoresistance
• Electron dephasing in homogeneous and inhomogeneous indium tin oxide thin films
• Logarithmic temperature dependence of Hall transport in granular metals
• Observation of strong electron dephasing in disordered Cu${}_{93}$Ge${}_4$Au${}_3$ thin films

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Electronic conduction properties of indium tin oxide: single-particle and many-body transport
• Linear temperature behavior of thermopower and strong electron-electron scattering in thick F-doped SnO${}_2$ films
• Observation of long phase-coherence length in epitaxial La-doped CdO thin films
• Electron transport properties of a narrow-bandgap semiconductor Bi${}_2$O${}_2$Te nanosheet