Electrical Conduction Through Small Contact Spots

Abstract

Earlier literature has reported that the voltage-temperature (V-T) relation for electrical contacts, and classical electrical contact theory in general, are invalid where the a-spots are on the order of nanometers. This paper reviews earlier literature dealing with the breakdown of the V-T relation and presents quantitative arguments to propose that this breakdown stems from the ballistic motion of electrons through nanometer-sized constrictions. Earlier literature also suggested that the breakdown of classical theory stems in part from thermal losses from a-spots to contaminant layers in an electrical interface. Through the use of a simple a-spot model, this paper shows that this cooling mechanism is not sufficiently important to affect the validity of the classical V-T relation and classical electrical contact theory in general