Surface conduction and reduced electrical resistivity in ultrathin noncrystalline NbP semimetal

IF 44.7 1区综合性期刊 Q1 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES

Science Pub Date : 2025-01-02 DOI:10.1126/science.adq7096

Asir Intisar Khan, Akash Ramdas, Emily Lindgren, Hyun-Mi Kim, Byoungjun Won, Xiangjin Wu, Krishna Saraswat, Ching-Tzu Chen, Yuri Suzuki, Felipe H. da Jornada, Il-Kwon Oh, Eric Pop

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The electrical resistivity of conventional metals such as copper is known to increase in thin films as a result of electron-surface scattering, thus limiting the performance of metals in nanoscale electronics. Here, we find an unusual reduction of resistivity with decreasing film thickness in niobium phosphide (NbP) semimetal deposited at relatively low temperatures of 400°C. In films thinner than 5 nanometers, the room temperature resistivity (~34 microhm centimeters for 1.5-nanometer-thick NbP) is up to six times lower than the resistivity of our bulk NbP films, and lower than conventional metals at similar thickness (typically about 100 microhm centimeters). The NbP films are not crystalline but display local nanocrystalline, short-range order within an amorphous matrix. Our analysis suggests that the lower effective resistivity is caused by conduction through surface channels, together with high surface carrier density and sufficiently good mobility as the film thickness is reduced. These results and the fundamental insights obtained here could enable ultrathin, low-resistivity wires for nanoelectronics beyond the limitations of conventional metals.

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来源期刊

Science 综合性期刊-综合性期刊

CiteScore

61.10

自引率

0.90%

发文量

审稿时长

2.1 months

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