# Au-Ge alloys for wide-range low-temperature on-chip thermometry

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a Au-Ge alloy that functions effectively as a resistance-based thermometer from room temperature down to 0.2 K, exhibiting a logarithmic resistivity dependence suitable for low-temperature on-chip thermometry.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the potential of Au-Ge alloys as practical, wide-range low-temperature thermometers with favorable sensitivity and resistivity characteristics, and explains the underlying Kondo-like behavior.

## Key findings

- Resistivity shows logarithmic temperature dependence from room temperature to 0.2 K.
- The alloy's sensitivity compares favorably to commercial sensors.
- Kondo-like behavior explains the resistivity's temperature dependence.

## Abstract

We present results of a Au-Ge alloy that is useful as a resistance-based thermometer from room temperature down to at least \SI{0.2}{\kelvin}. Over a wide range, the electrical resistivity of the alloy shows a logarithmic temperature dependence, which simultaneously retains the sensitivity required for practical thermometry while also maintaining a relatively modest and easily-measurable value of resistivity. We characterize the sensitivity of the alloy as a possible thermometer and show that it compares favorably to commercially-available temperature sensors. We experimentally identify that the characteristic logarithmic temperature dependence of the alloy stems from Kondo-like behavior induced by the specific heat treatment it undergoes.