The Kondo effect and carrier transport in amorphous Cr-doped In2O3 thin films

Understanding the interaction between spin of the charge carriers and local magnetic moments in diluted magnetic oxide is an important issue for applications in spintronic devices. This study examines amorphous Cr-doped In2O3 diluted magnetic oxide thin films for the existence of the Kondo effect and a general s-d scattering effect on the magneto transport, as well as for the well known 3D weak localization effect that explains the low temperature transport behavior of transparent conducting oxides. The carrier transport behavior at low temperature can be accurately described and well fit by a combination of these effects. At temperatures lower than the minimum resistivity temperature, the Kondo effect dominates the magnetoresistance effect and is responsible for the enhancement of resistivity.