Effect of Hybridization in PdAlY-(Ni/Au/Ir) Metallic Glasses Thin Films on Electrical Resistivity

Abstract

Thin film metallic glasses (MGs) are promising materials for electronic applications. While the transport properties of MGs are composition dependent, the influence of hybridization on the resistivity has not been investigated systematically. We implement a correlative experimental and computational approach utilizing thin film deposition, electrical resistivity measurements, synchrotron X-ray diffraction and ab initio calculations to explore the relationship between the fraction of hybridized bonds present in PdAlY-M glasses with M=Ir,Au,Ni, where the electrical behaviour is dominated by d-electrons. The strong bonds hybridization in PdAlY-Ir yields a high resistivity of 175 µΩm, while the weakly hybridized bonds in PdAlY-M MGs (M=Au,Ni) result in lower resistivities of 114 and 92 µΩm, respectively. We propose that an increase in the fraction of hybridized states yields an increased room temperature resistivity. Whereas nearly-free electron model applies to the weakly hybridized systems, where the density of states at the Fermi level determines the resistivity.