Superconducting fluctuation effects in the resistive transition of amorphous bismuth films

Improved measurements were made of the temperature-dependent resistivity of amorphous Bi films in order to observe the effects of superconducting fluctuations. Measurements were made in the temperature range $T_c\le T\le 2.5T_c$ on films ranging from 500 to 5000 Å thick. Temperature resolution near $T_c$ of 0.2 mK and precise resistance measurements at higher temperatures (1 part in ${10}^4$) permitted a detailed comparison with theory. Films over 500 Å thick showed a temperature-dependent transition from thin-film (two-dimensional) behavior to bulk (three-dimensional) behavior in agreement with the predictions af Aslamzov and Larkin.