Measurements of quantized conductance in gallium as a function of temperature

Using a scanning tunneling microscope in a large number of approach and retraction experiments, quantized conductance is observed for the first time in gallium. We compare the conductance quantization at temperatures between 300 and 4.2 K, just slightly below and far below the bulk melting point of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Solid state communications 1999-02, Vol.109 (8), p.525-530
Main Authors: Lewis, B.B., Vandervoort, K.G., Foster, R.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
A. Metals
C. Scanning tunneling microscopy
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
D. Electronic transport
Electrical and thermal conduction in crystalline metals and alloys
Electronic conduction in metals and alloys
Electronic transport in condensed matter
Exact sciences and technology
Physics
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Summary:Using a scanning tunneling microscope in a large number of approach and retraction experiments, quantized conductance is observed for the first time in gallium. We compare the conductance quantization at temperatures between 300 and 4.2 K, just slightly below and far below the bulk melting point of gallium. We find that the conductance is significantly dependent on temperature and find a moderate conductance peak at 1 G o (2 e 2/ h) that increases in intensity with decreasing temperature. At 4.2 K, a second conductance peak at 2 G o is observed. We attribute our observations to gallium’s unique orthorhombic crystal structure and a significant increase in atomic disorder at temperatures near the melting point.
ISSN:0038-1098
1879-2766
DOI:10.1016/S0038-1098(98)00607-3