Electron scattering in Au films containing Co clusters

We present a study of the transport properties of films consisting of Con clusters embedded in a Au matrix for different Co cluster concentrations. The films were prepared by low-energy cluster beam deposition of Co clusters, combined with simultaneous thermal evaporation of Au. By varying the deposition rates of both Co clusters and Au, films with different Co concentrations were obtained. We investigated the influence of the Co concentration on the low-temperature resistance behavior, thus probing the dominant scattering mechanisms determining the film resistance. The change in low-temperature resistance behavior reveals a transition from films with a low Co concentration, where the low-temperature resistance is dominated by phonon scattering to increasingly ferromagnetically behaving films, in which electron–electron interactions are dominant. The Debye temperature of the films was found to scale with the Co concentration in the films. The low-temperature electron mean free path was determined, which allowed to investigate the influence of the film granularity on the resistance. The temperature dependence of the resistivity reflects the increasing granularity as Au is gradually replaced by Co grains.