Thickness dependence of resistivity in In-Bi thin films

The resistivity and temperature coefficient of resistance of vacuum deposited thin films of InBi and In2Bi of different thicknesses have been measured after annealing. The resistance measurements have also been carried out in situ during the growth of the films as the thickness increases. It is observed that annealed films behave differently from the continuously monitored growing films in their thickness dependence of resistance. The annealed films exhibit oscillatory variation of resistance with thickness while the continuously growing films exhibit, after an initial increase, a normal continuous decrease with thickness. The oscillatory behaviour in annealed films is attributed to quantum size effect. The absence of oscillatory behaviour in the growing films is attributed to the defect-structure of the films. © 1981 Pergamon Press Ltd.