Weak localization effect in Zn1−xCdxO/CdO heterostructures

Abstract

We present a systematic investigation of the morphological and magnetotransport properties of Zn1−xCdxO/CdO heterostructures managing the electronic barrier by changing x values between 0.50 and 0.95. From physical parameters such as roughness and crystallite size obtained through scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, we established a correlation between the disorder degree and the amplitude of the negative magnetoresistance as well as the nature of the dominating inelastic scattering mechanisms. The magnetoresistance measurements revealed a negative amplitude for all heterostructures, which clearly shows that the weak localization effect is observed in the low temperature range. Applying the three-dimensional weak localization theory (Kawabata 3D), we extract the phase coherence length, and a relatively large value (maximum reaches 135 nm at 4.2 K) is obtained for the Zn0.05Cd0.95O/CdO heterostructure.