Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: We investigate the effects of inelastic cotunneling on the electronic transport properties of gold nanoparticle multilayers and thick films at low applied bias, inside the Coulomb-blockade regime. We find that the zero-bias conductance, g(0)(T), in all systems exhibits Efros-Shklovskii-type variable range hopping transport. The resulting typical hopping distance, corresponding to the number of tunnel junctions participating in cotunneling events, is shown to be directly related to the power-law exponent in the measured current-voltage characteristics. We discuss the implications of these findings in light of models on cotunneling and hopping transport in mesoscopic, granular conductors.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: T. B. Tran, I. S. Beloborodov, X. M. Lin, T. P. Bigioni, V. M. Vinokur, H. M. Jaeger
Institutions: University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2020432333