Open AccessTunable electron transport with intergranular separation in FePt-C nanogranular films
Author(s) -
Joshy Joseph,
Jian Wang,
B. S. D. Ch. S. Varaprasad,
Y. K. Takahashi,
Kazuhiro Hara,
A. Rajanikanth
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
materials research express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.383
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2053-1591
DOI - 10.1088/2053-1591/ab86f9
Subject(s) - intergranular corrosion , materials science , condensed matter physics , variable range hopping , electrical resistivity and conductivity , ferromagnetism , electron , coercivity , metallurgy , microstructure , composite material , thermal conduction , physics , quantum mechanics
We report electron transport mechanism in FePt-C granular films as a function of temperature by varying intergranular separation. FePt-C nanogranular films were prepared by sputtering on MgO substrates. From magnetic measurement of the sample, a coercivity of about 3T was found in the perpendicular direction. Above 25 K, the electrical resistivity of the films were found to obey Mott variable range hopping, Efros-Shklovskii variable range hopping and extended critical regime depending on the intergranular separation. However, at lower temperatures it deviates from the above behaviour showing an increase in conductance. Reduced activation energy calculated from resistivity data of these films shows metal-insulator transition. The metallic nature observed at low temperature was attributed to the intergranular ferromagnetic type ordering between granules that enhances the transport of electrons. Intergranular separation, thus, can be used as a tool to engineer the electron transport mechanism to different hopping regimes or extended critical regime in these films.