Fluctuation phenomena in nanoscale nickel films near the melting point

Voltage fluctuations in thin nanoscale nickel films which arise during current application through a film sample upon slow heating are studied. It is shown that positive voltage fluctuations (surges) arise due to an increase in the resistance of local regions of the film under study, caused by its local thinnings and discontinuities which result from the film melting onset. The temperature of the melting onset of nanoscale nickel films on oxidized silicon was experimentally determined as 740, 815, and 875 K for films 5, 20, and 40 nm thick, respectively.