Conductance Oscillations in Transition Metal Superlattices

TL;DR

This paper investigates conductance oscillations in transition metal superlattices, revealing long-period oscillations due to Fermi wavevector interactions, using numerical and heuristic models.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical and heuristic analysis showing how superlattice structure causes conductance oscillations in transition metal multilayers.

Findings

Long-period conductance oscillations occur in disorder-free layers.

Oscillations are due to beating between Fermi wavevector and superlattice wavevectors.

Results are relevant for understanding GMR-like phenomena.

Abstract

We present a numerical study of conductance oscillations of transition metal multilayers as a function of layer thickness. Using a material-specific tight-binding model, we show that for disorder-free layers with random thicknesses but clean interfaces, long-period oscillations in the conductance can occur, which are reminiscent of those found in structures exhibiting GMR. Using a heuristic effective mass model, we argue that these oscillations arise from beating between the Fermi wavevector and a class of wavevectors characteristic of the superlattice structure.