Gauge factor of thick film resistors: outcomes of the variable range hopping model

Abstract

Despite a large amount of data and numerous theoretical proposals, the microscopic mechanism of transport in thick film resistors remains unclear. However, recent low temperature measurements point toward a possible variable range hopping mechanism of transport. Here we examine how such a mechanism affects the gauge factor of thick film resistors. We find that at sufficiently low temperatures $T$, for which the resistivity follows the Mott's law $R(T)\sim \exp(T_0/T)^{1/4}$, the gauge factor GF is proportional to $(T_0/T)^{1/4}$. Moreover, the inclusion of Coulomb gap effects leads to ${\rm GF}\sim (T_0'/T)^{1/2}$ at lower temperatures. In addition, we study a simple model which generalizes the variable range hopping mechanism by taking into account the finite mean inter-grain spacing. Our results suggest a possible experimental verification of the validity of the variable range hopping in thick film resistors.