New contacting technique for thin film resistance measurements perpendicular to the film plane

Using microlithography, we have fabricated Au thin film structures for resistance measurements with current directed perpendicular to the film plane. We propose a novel contact geometry for accurate measurement of the very low metallic perpendicular resistance, which prevents any disturbing influence from the much larger resistance of the contact leads. Our experimental results are well explained by a classical model and our interpretation is independently confirmed by a three-dimensional electrostatic calculation based on the finite element method.