Observation of crossover from weak localization to antilocalization in the temperature dependence of the resistance of a two-dimensional system with spin-orbit interaction

A nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the resistance with a maximum in the temperature range of 2–4 K whose position depends on the hole density has been observed in hole channels of silicon field-effect transistors. The spin-orbit hole relaxation time and the temperature dependences of the phase relaxation time of the electron wave have been obtained from the measurements of the alternating sign anomalous magnetoresistance. The nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the resistance can be described by the formulas of weak-localization theory with these parameters. The maximum appears owing to a temperature-induced change in the relation between the measured times. As a result, the localization behavior of the conductivity at high temperatures is changed to the antilocalization behavior at low temperatures. The inclusion of quantum corrections to the conductivity caused by the electron-electron interaction improves quantitative agreement between the experiment and calculation. Thus, it has been demonstrated that, in contrast to the widely accepted concept, there is a region of the parameters where the electron-electron interaction does not change the antilocalization (metallic) type of the temperature dependence of the resistance.