Influence of interface scattering on the resistance of polycrystalline Au/Pd multilayered thin films

The resistivity of Au/Pd multilayered thin films, obtained with high-vacuum evaporation, with layer periodicities from 2.34 nm to 23.0 nm is studied as a function of temperature between 4.2 and 300 K. Chemical analysis X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy served to determine the composition and microstructure of the samples. The scattering contribution of the Au/Pd interfaces was estimated by taking into account the resistivity increase resulting from grain-boundary scattering. Two series of films were investigated, one with alternate Au and Pd layers of equal thickness and the other with constant Au layer thickness and increasing Pd layer thickness. In both series the same value for the interface scattering at the Au/Pd interfaces was found. The results were found to agree reasonably with previous results obtained on Au films.