Electrical and structural properties of epitaxially deposited chromium thin films

We studied the electrical resistance and crystal structure of epitaxial chromium (Cr) films. The lattice constant of the Cr films was larger than that of the bulk Cr because of MgO substrate on which Cr was epitaxially deposited. A chromium oxide layer having a thickness of 1 nm was found on all films from the result of X-ray reflectivity measurements. The electrical resistivity $\rho \left(T\right)$ shows metallic behavior for all epitaxial Cr films in contrast with polycrystalline one. However, the magnitude of $\rho$ tends to increase and the antiferromagnetic interaction is suppressed as decreasing thickness of film.