Inner size effect of temperature coefficient of resistance in Cu, Ag, V and Mo films

The work is devoted to the study of the thermal coefficient of resistivity (TCR) in nanocrystalline and amorphous metal films, the thickness of which significantly exceeds the mean free path of charge carriers. It is shown that in films of silver and copper deposited on the substrate at room temperature, TCR is 2∙10−3 K−1 and 1.2∙10−3 K−1 for silver and copper films, respectively. The obtained values are 2–3 times lower than the tabular ones. For nanocrystalline films of vanadium and amorphous films of molybdenum, an anomalous TCR was found, which is observed while maintaining the metallic nature of the conductivity. The values obtained are −6.1∙10−4 K−1 (V) and −4∙10−4 K−1 (Mo). It is shown that the increase in the substrate temperature during films deposition brings the observed values of TCR closer to those, which are typical for the massive state. The found effects are explained by the highly dispersed structure of the samples. •Inner size effect of resistivity detected in the nanocrystalline films.•Temperature coefficient of resistance of Cu and Ag films decreases by 2–3 times.•Temperature coefficient of resistance of V and Mo films is negative.•In (Cu, Ag, V) films, the effects are associated with nanocrystalline structure.•Negative TCR of molybdenum films is associated with their amorphous state.