Quantum interference effects in titanium nitride films at low temperatures

Abstract Detailed electrical resistivity (ρ) measurements have been carried out in epitaxial TiN thin films in the temperature (T) range of 4 ≤ T ≤ 300 K in magnetic fields from 0 to 6 T. The ρ (T) data show distinct minima around 38 K, which remains unaffected by the external magnetic fields. At higher temperatures (100−300K), the ρ(T) behavior was found to be linear in agreement with classical electron-phonon interactions (∝T). Below the minima, the ρ(T) is unequivocally described by the quantum interference effect (∝ − T ). The value of the coefficient of the T term matches well with the near-universal value.