Electron dephasing and weak localization in Sn doped In(2)O(3) nanowires

We report on (magneto-) transport measurements of individual In2O3 nanowires. We observed that the presence of a weak disorder arising from doping and electron-boundary collisions leads to weak localization of electrons as revealed by the positive magnetoconductivity in a large range of temperatures ( approximately 77 K). From temperature-dependent resistance and magnetoconductivity data, the electron-electron interaction was pointed out as the mechanism responsible for the increase of resistance in the low temperature range and the dominant source of the dephasing at low temperatures. The experimental data provided the phase coherence time tau(phi) approximately T(-2/3) expected for 1D systems, giving consistent support to the mechanisms underlying the weak-localization and electron-electron scattering theories.