Resistance minimum and electrical conduction mechanism in polycrystalline CoFeB thin films

TL;DR

This study investigates the electrical conduction mechanisms in polycrystalline CoFeB thin films, revealing a resistance minimum at low temperatures due to intergranular Coulomb interactions and disorder effects, with implications for understanding granular ferromagnetic materials.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of resistance behavior in CoFeB thin films, highlighting the role of Coulomb interactions and granularity in electrical conduction mechanisms.

Findings

Resistance minimum observed below 29 K due to Coulomb interactions

Decreased film thickness increases disorder-related scattering

Magnetic contribution to resistance remains constant across thicknesses

Abstract

The temperature dependent resistance $R$($T$) of polycrystalline ferromagnetic CoFeB thin films of varying thickness are analyzed considering various electrical scattering processes. We observe a resistance minimum in $R$($T$) curves below $\simeq$ 29 K, which can be explained as an effect of intergranular Coulomb interaction in a granular system. The structural and Coulomb interaction related scattering processes contribute more as the film thickness decreases implying the role of disorder and granularity. Although the magnetic contribution to the resistance is the weakest compared to these two, it is the only thickness independent process. On the contrary, the negative coefficient of resistance can be explained by electron interaction effect in disordered amorphous films.