  The effect of coupling of quantized modes on transport and localization in
ultrathin films with quantum size effect (QSE) is discussed. The emphasis is on
comparison of films with Gaussian, exponential, and power-law long-range
behavior of the correlation function of surface, thickness, or bulk
fluctuations. For small-size inhomogeneities, the mode coupling is the same for
inhomogeneities of all types and the transport coefficients behave in the same
way. The mode coupling becomes extremely sensitive to the correlators for
large-size inhomogeneities leading to the drastically distinct behavior of the
transport coefficients. In high-quality films there is a noticeable difference
between the QSE patterns for films with bulk and surface inhomogeneities which
explains why the recently predicted new type of QSE with large oscillations of
the transport coefficients can be observed mostly in films with surface-driven
relaxation. In such films with surface-dominated scattering the higher modes
contribute to the transport only as a result of opening of the corresponding
mode coupling channels and appear one by one. Mode coupling also explains a
much higher transport contribution from the higher modes than it is commonly
believed. Possible correlations between the inhomogeneities from the opposite
walls provide, because of their oscillating response to the mode quantum
numbers, a unique insight into the mode coupling. The presence of
inhomogeneities of several sizes leads not to a mechanical mixture of QSE
patterns, but to the overall shifting and smoothing of the oscillations. The
results can lead to new, non-destructive ways of analysis of the buried
interfaces and to study of inhomogeneities on the scales which are inaccessible
for scanning techniques.
