Changes in the conducting properties of granular indium films in a metal–insulator transition

The metal–insulator transition (MIT) in granular indium films, which occurs when the electron localization is enhanced as the thickness of the oxide interlayers between the granules increases, is studied. Attention is devoted primarily to the general characteristics of the change in the electric properties as the MIT is approached and the mechanisms of activated conduction in the dielectric state. It is shown based on an analysis of the experimental curves of the electric resistance versus the temperature and applied electric and magnetic fields that the dielectric state of granular indium films characteristically exhibits hopping conductivity with a variable hopping length, and in addition at sufficiently low temperaturs the conductivity is described by the Shklovskii–Éfros theory, which takes into account the existence of a Coulomb gap.

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