Phase interference due to multiple impurities and space-average resistance in quasi-one-dimensional nanowires

The impurity-limited resistance in quasi-one-dimensional nanowires is studied by using the nonequilibrium Green function simulations and the Lippmann–Schwinger scattering theory under various spatial configurations of localized impurities. It is shown explicitly that both phase interference and phase randomization simultaneously play a crucial role in determining the impurity-limited resistance even under fully coherent circumstances. Consequently, the ensemble average resistance of multiple impurities under the uniform configuration of impurities becomes very close to the series resistance owing to independent multiple impurities at room temperature, and thus each impurity could be regarded as an independent scattering center