Transport Properties of Thin Metallic Films and Multilayers

Abstract

The problem of electron transport in thin metallic films is an old one. The Fuchs-Sondheimer semi-classical theory [1,2] was worked out fifty years ago and the influence of the electron scattering by surfaces on the conductivity of thin films was extensively investigated in the fifties and sixties. A good report on this early stage of the transport properties of thin films is the review paper by Maissel [3] in 1970. The recent progresses of the growth techniques has revived the subject. Data on well characterized ultrathin films have shown the drawbacks of the semi-classical models and led to the development of quantum theories. Also the interplay between electron transport and magnetic properties in magnetic multilayers begins to be extensively investigated In this article, first we present the Fuchs-Sondheimer theory of the conductivity of thin films and related experiments. Then we proceed to the recently developed quantum mechanical models, to the electron transport in multilayers, and finally to the case of magnetic multilayers.