Electronic transport calculations for rough interfaces in Al, Cu, Ag, and Au

We present results of electronic structure and transport calculations for metallic interfaces, based on density functional theory and the non-equilibrium Green’s function method. Starting from the electronic structure of smooth Al, Cu, Ag, and Au interfaces, we study the effects of different kinds of interface roughness on the transmission coefficient and the I–V characteristic. In particular, we compare prototypical interface distortions, including vacancies and metallic impurities.