Observation of Anomalous Non-Ohmic Transport in Current-Driven Nanostructures
Abstract
Sufficiently large electric current applied to metallic nanostructures can bring them far out of equilibrium, resulting in non-Ohmic behaviors characterized by current-dependent resistance. We experimentally demonstrate a linear dependence of resistance on current in microscopic thin-film metallic wires at cryogenic temperatures, and show that our results are inconsistent with common non-Ohmic mechanisms such as Joule heating. As the temperature is increased, the linear dependence becomes smoothed out, resulting in the crossover to behaviors consistent with Joule heating. A plausible explanation for the observed behaviors is the strongly nonequilibrium distribution of phonons generated by the current. Analysis based on this interpretation suggests that the observed anomalous current-dependent resistance can provide information about phonon transport and electron-phonon interaction at nanoscale. The ability to control the properties of phonons generated by current can lead to new routes for the optimization of thermal properties of electronic nanodevices.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review X
- Pub Date:
- January 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevX.10.011064
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1907.00224
- Bibcode:
- 2020PhRvX..10a1064C
- Keywords:
-
- Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics;
- Condensed Matter - Other Condensed Matter
- E-Print:
- Version accepted for publication in PRX