Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026

Cooling Rate Dependent Ellipsometry Measurements to Determine the Dynamics of Thin Glassy Films
Published on: January 26, 2016
Is ballistic transportation or quantum confinement responsible for changes in the electrical properties of thin
Jean-Pierre Veder1, Kunal Patel, Junqiao Lee
1Department of Chemistry, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6109, Australia.
Abstract:
Resistivities of thin polymer films increase abruptly with decreasing thickness, although the corresponding decline in resistance plateaus below a certain thickness. One can jump to the incorrect conclusion that quantum confinement and surface scattering are responsible for this behaviour, and we highlight the pitfalls of committing such an error.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
The de Broglie Wavelength
Theory of Metallic Conduction
In this theory, Newton's second law of motion is used to determine the acceleration of an electron in the presence of an applied electric field. Then, its velocity is expressed via this acceleration.
An electron moves through the crystal, containing positive ions,...
The Uncertainty Principle
Carrier Transport
Drift Current:
The drift of charge carriers is started by an external electric field (E). Charged particles, such as electrons and holes, experience an acceleration between collisions with lattice atoms. For electrons, this results in a drift velocity (vd) given by:

