Weak-localization type description of conduction in the "anomalous" metallic state

TL;DR

This paper investigates the temperature-dependent resistivity in Si-MOS samples within the metallic phase, identifying three behavioral regimes and demonstrating that weak-localization theory explains the observed phenomena.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of resistivity behavior across different temperature regimes and confirms the applicability of weak-localization theory to the metallic state.

Findings

Identification of three distinct temperature regimes in resistivity behavior.

Observation of a resistivity minimum at higher densities consistent with weak-localization theory.

Explanation of the absence of a resistivity minimum at lower densities due to experimental limitations.

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the temperature dependence of the resistivity in Si- MOS samples over the wide range of densities in the ``metallic phase'' (n>n_c) but not too close to the critical density n_c. Three domains of different behavior in \rho(T) are identified. These are: [i] quantum domain of `low-temperatures', where a logarithmic T-dependence of \rho (with $d\rho/dT<0$) dominates; [ii] semi-classical domain of `high-temperatures', in which Drude resistivity strongly varies with T (with d\rho/dT>0); and [ii] crossover between the former two, where a linear T-dependence dominates (with d\rho/dT>0). In the crossover regime and at higher densities (n>20x10^{11}/cm^2), \rho(T) goes through a minimum at temperature T_{min}. Both the absolute value of T_{min} and its dependence on density are found to be in an agreement with the conventional weak-localization theory. For n smaller than \sim 20x10^{11}/cm^2, the theoretical estimate for T_{min} falls outside the experimentally accessible temperature range. This explains the absence of the minimum at these densities in the data. In total, over the two decades in the temperature (domains [ii] and [iii]), the two semiclassical effects mimic the metallic like transport properties. Our analysis shows that the behaviour of \rho(T) in the region of \rho << h/e^2 can be described phenomenologically in terms of the conventional weak-localization theory.