Resistivity saturation in crystalline metals: Semi-classical theory versus experiment

Abstract

The electrical resistivities of metals and alloys tend to saturate at some value in the range 150–250 μΩcm, corresponding to semi-classical mean free paths near a few interatomic distances. The origin of this effect is still under debate and no accepted theory exists. However, the saturation behavior can often be described quite accurately by algebraic functions derived from simple theory. Such functions may be used for analyzing resistivity data in experimental and applied physics. In this work, several functions recently proposed have been fitted to 184 sets of resistivity data from the literature, measured on 149 elements, alloys, and intermetallic compounds. The results have been evaluated in terms of both accuracy of fit and of the validity of fitted parameter values. Different functions give the best fit to data for different materials, suggesting that there is no universal functional dependence and thus probably no universal mechanism behind the saturation phenomenon.