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Class Notes

Course Code: EEE 237

Course Title: Electrical Properties of Materials
Text: Principles of Electronic Materials and Devices [S. O. Kasap]

2.3.1. Matthiessen’s Rule – Resistivity for Impure Metals

The summation rule of resistivity in impure metal from different scattering

mechanisms is called Matthiessen's rule.
In impure metal such as alloy there exist two types of scattering mechanism
that contributes for effective resistivity. One of electron scatterings is due to
atomic vibration of host atoms due to temperature and another scattering is
due to the electron collision with impurity atoms or with any other defects
that work as center of scattering. What actually scatters the electron is a
local, unexpected change in the potential energy, PE of the electron as it
approaches the impurity, because the force experienced by the electron is
given by-

𝑑(𝑃𝐸)
𝐹= − -------- (1)
𝑑𝑥
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Let us assume, 𝜏 𝑇 = Mean free time from thermal vibration of host atoms

𝜏𝐼 = Mean free time between scatterings from impurity atoms or

other defects.

 = Effective mean free time arises from both of the scattering
mechanisms.

In general the effective mean free time  between any two scattering events
will be less than the individual scattering times T and I. However, the net
probability of scattering will be the summation of the probability of
scattering from lattice vibrations alone, and the probability of scattering
from impurities alone. That is:
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1 1 1
= + ………………… (2)
𝜏 𝜏𝑇 𝜏𝐼

𝑒𝜏
Now, effective drift mobility is given by 𝜇𝑑 =
𝑚𝑒

𝜇𝑑 𝑚𝑒
or 𝜏=
𝑒
Putting the value of in equation (2) we get
1 1 1
= +
𝜇𝑑 𝜇𝐿 𝜇𝐼

where 𝜇𝐿 = lattice-scattering-limited drift mobility

𝜇𝐼 = impurity scattering-limited drift mobility

The effective (or overall) resistivity  of the material is simply –

1 1 1
𝜌 = = +
𝑒𝑛𝜇𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝜇𝐿 𝑒𝑛𝜇𝐼

which can be written as: 𝜌 = 𝜌𝑇 + 𝜌𝐼 ..(3)

where 𝜌𝑇 is defined as the resistivity due to scattering from thermal

vibrations, and 𝜌𝐼 is the resistivity due to scattering from impurities.

Or equation (3) can be written as:

𝜌 = 𝜌𝑇 + 𝜌𝑅 …………………..(4)

Where 𝜌𝑅 is called the residual resistivity and is due to the scattering of

electrons by impurities, dislocations, interstitial atoms, vacancies, grain
boundaries, etc.

The residual resistivity 𝜌𝑅 shows very little temperature dependence,

where,𝜌𝑇 = 𝐴𝑇. So the effective resistivity  is given by-

𝜌 = 𝐴𝑇 + 𝐵 ………..(5)
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Where, A and B are temperature-independent constants.

Equation (4) indicates that the resistivity of a metal varies almost linearly
with the temperature, with A and B depending on the material.

2.3.1. The temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR)

The temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR), 𝛼0 is defined as the

fractional change in the resistivity per unit temperature increase at the
reference temperature T0. That is-

1 𝑑𝜌
𝑎0 = [ ] …….(6)
𝜌0 𝑑𝑇 𝑇=𝑇0

where 𝑎0 is the resistivity at the reference temperature T0 and 𝛿𝜌 = 𝜌 − 𝜌0

is the change in the resistivity due to a small increase in temperature, 𝛿𝑇 =
𝑇 − 𝑇0 .

When the resistivity follows the behavior, 𝜌 ≈ 𝐴𝑇 + 𝐵, then equation (5)

leads to the well-known equation,

𝜌 = 𝜌0 [1 + 𝛼0 (𝑇 − 𝑇0 )]

Frequently, the resistivity versus temperature behavior of pure metals can

be empirically represented by a power law of the form-

𝑇 𝑛
𝜌 = 𝜌0 [ ]
𝑇0
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where 𝜌0 is the resistivity at the reference temperature 𝑇0 and n is a

characteristic index of resistivity that best fits the data.