Conductance of island and granular metal films

•Temperature dependence of conductance of thin island films is measured.•Deviation of conductance dependence from activation law is discussed.•Two independent processes responsible for conductance dependence are proposed.•These processes occur independently and explain conductance dependence.

Results of measurements of the specific surface conductance of island metal films at different temperatures are presented. The study of conduction allowed us to establish processes, which determine the transfer of charge carriers in granular and island metal structures. These processes determine the excess charge carriers concentration in film and, on the other hand, characterize the transfer speed of excess charge carriers from one island to another (i.e. mobility). Moreover, these processes occur independently from each other.