Open AccessAnomalous electric‐field effect and glassy behaviour in granular aluminium: electron glass?
Author(s) -
Grenet T.,
Delahaye J.,
Sabra M.,
Gay F.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
physica status solidi c
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1610-1642
pISSN - 1862-6351
DOI - 10.1002/pssc.200777561
Subject(s) - condensed matter physics , coulomb , aluminium , electric field , dielectric , relaxation (psychology) , oxide , electron , materials science , indium , granular material , phenomenology (philosophy) , interpretation (philosophy) , chemical physics , chemistry , physics , composite material , metallurgy , quantum mechanics , optoelectronics , psychology , social psychology , philosophy , epistemology , computer science , programming language
We briefly review our study of non‐equilibrium phenomena observed in the electrical conductance of insulating granular aluminium thin films at low temperature. In MOS like structures, with granular aluminium channels, an anomalous field effect and its slow relaxation have been studied in some detail, the phenomenology of which is very similar to the one also observed in indium oxide. The interpretation of the experimental findings is discussed. To date, in granular systems, the present experiments can qualitatively be interpreted along two different lines. One (the “extrinsic” scenario) relies on a slow polarisation in the dielectric surrounding the metallic islands. The other one is a purely electronic mechanism: the formation of an electron Coulomb glass in the granular met al. Some experimental facts seem difficult to reconcile with the extrinsic scenario, but more selective experiments and/or quantitative theoretical predictions are still needed to definitely distinguish between the two scenarii. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)