Hall effect

Keshav Kumar Sharma

M.Tech (SSM)
2017PHM2215
 Discovery
• Observed in 1879

• Edwin Herbert Hall

• Discovered 18 years before the electron

2
 What is Hall Effect?
•When a sample of conductor
carrying current is placed in a
uniform magnetic field
perpendicular to the direction of
the current, a transverse field will
be set up across the conductor.

•The field developed across the

conductor is called Hall field and
•The principle of Hall effect
corresponding potential difference is
is based on the simple
called Hall voltage and its value is
dynamics of charges moving
found to depend on the magnetic
in electromagnetic fields.
field strength, nature of the materials
and applied current.
 Hall voltage (VH)
For a simple metal, the Hall voltage VH can be computed by
setting net Lorentz force to zero.

Using,
 Hall coefficient

•The unit of RH is expressed as m3/C. This concludes that

the type of charge carrier and its density can be
estimated from the sign and the value of Hall co-
efficient RH. It can be obtained by studying the variation
of VH as a function of I for a given B.

•The above equation also concludes that Hall effect

differentiates between positive charges moving in one
direction and negative charges moving in the opposite.
 •In semiconductor

or

Where b= µe/µh

For p > nb2, RH will be positive i.e. p-type semiconductor and

for p < nb2, RH will be negative i.e. n-type semiconductor.
 Van der Pauw Measurements
The following properties of the material can be calculated:
•The resistivity of the material
•The doping type (i.e. whether it is a P-type or N-type material)
•The sheet carrier density of the majority carrier (the number of majority
carriers per unit area).
•The mobility of the majority carrier

•Sample geometry
•Requirements
1. Permanent magnet, or an electromagnet (500 to 5000 gauss)
2. Constant-current source with currents ranging from 10 μA
to 100 mA (for semi-insulating GaAs, ρ ≈ 107 Ω·cm, a range
as low as 1 nA is needed).
3. High input impedance voltmeter covering 1 μV to 1 V.
4. Sample temperature-measuring probe (resolution of 0.1 °C
for high accuracy work).

•Parameters
➢ρ = sample resistivity (in Ω·cm)
➢d = conducting layer thickness (in cm)
➢I12 = positive dc current I injected into contact 1 and taken
out of contact 2. Likewise for I23, I34, I41, I21, I14, I43, I32 (in
amperes, A)
➢V12 = dc voltage measured between contacts 1 and 2 (V1 -
V2) without applied magnetic field (B = 0). Likewise for V23,
V34, V41, V21, V14, V43, V32 (in volts, V)

•Resistivity measurements
•Apply the current I21 and measure voltage V34
•Reverse the polarity of the current (I12) and measure V43
•Repeat for the remaining six values (V41, V14, V12, V21, V23,
V32)
➢Eight measurements of voltage yield the following eight
values of resistance, all of which must be positive:

R21,34 = V34/I21, R43,12 = V12/I43,

R12,43=V43/I12, R34,21 = V21/I34,
R32,41 = V41/I32, R14,23 = V23/I14,
R23,14 = V14/I23, R41,32 =V32/I41.
➢The sheet resistance RS can be determined from the two
characteristic resistances
RA = (R21,34 + R12,43 + R43,12 + R34,21)/4 (vertical)
and
RB = (R32,41 + R23,14 + R14,23 + R41,32)/4 (horizontal)

RS = (RA+RB)/2

➢Resistivity

ρ = πd*RS/ln2
➢Hall measurements
•Apply a positive magnetic field B.
•Apply a current I13 to leads 1 and 3 and measure V24P
•Apply a current I31 to leads 3 and 1 and measure V42P
Likewise, measure V13P and V31P with I42 and I24,
respectively.
•Reverse the magnetic field (negative B)
Likewise, measure V24N, V42N, V13N, and V31N with I13, I31,
I42, and I24, respectively.

➢Steps for the calculation of carrier density and Hall

mobility are:
1.Calculate the following:
VC = V24P - V24N, VD = V42P - V42N,
VE = V13P - V13N, and VF = V31P - V31N.
2.The sample type is determined from the polarity of the
voltage sum VC + VD + VE + VF. If this sum is positive
(negative), the sample is p-type (n-type).
3.The sheet carrier density (in units of cm-2) is calculated
from
ps = 8*10-8IB/[q(VC + VD + VE + VF)]
if the voltage sum is positive, or
ns = |8*10-8 IB/[q(VC + VD + VE + VF)]|
if the voltage sum is negative,
where B is the magnetic field in gauss (G) and I is the dc
current in amperes (A).
4.The bulk carrier density (in units of cm-3) can be
determined as follows if the conducting layer thickness d
of the sample is known:
n = ns/d p = ps/d
5.The Hall mobility μ = 1/qnsRS (in units of cm2V-1s-1) is
calculated from the sheet carrier density ns (or ps) and the
sheet resistance RS.
➢Hall coefficient
Eight resistances on the application of magnetic field are

R24,13 = V24P/I13, R42,31 = V42P/I31, for (+)B

R13,42 = V13P/I42, R31,42 =V31P/I42.
R24,13 = V24N/I13, R42,31 = V42N/I31, for (-)B
R13,42 = V13N/I42, R31,42 =V31N/I42.

RH = d/8B*[R24,13(+B)-R24,13(-B)+R42,31(+B)-
R42,31(-B)+R13,42-(+B)- R13,42(-B)+R31,42(+B)-R31,42(-B)]
Hall measurements setup