The effects of surface and interface scattering on the electrical resistivity of [formula omitted] double-layered thin films

Abstract

The total electrical resistivity of the Cu Ag double-layered thin films is studied as a function of the temperature. The effects of very thin silver top layers of 1.5–3.5 nm thickness, deposited onto copper base layers of 16.6–26.3 nm thickness, on the resistivity of the Cu Ag double-layered films is investigated. It is observed that the deposition of the top layers causes deviation from Matthiessen's rule and an increase in the resistivity of the double-layered films in comparison with those of the uncovered copper base films. Our analysis has shown that these observed effects are caused by an increased surface scattering contribution which corresponds to the increased values of the surface roughness parameters and the interface scattering cannot be responsible for this observed resistivity increase in the double-layered films, the base layers of which have a thickness greater than 16.6 nm.