SCHOOL OF BASIC SCIENCES AND RESEARCH, SHARDA UNIVERSITY

PHYSICS LABORATORY MANUAL

Experiment title: To study Hall effect and determine the Hall coefficient,
carrier density and the mobility of a semiconductor material. Expt. No. 3

OBJECTIVE: To study Hall effect and determine the Hall coefficient, carrier density and
the mobility of a semiconductor material.

APPARATUS REQUIRED: Hall probes (Ge crystal n-type/p-type), Hall effect setup,
electromagnet and digital gaussmeter.

Formula used:
As shown in Fig. (1), d is the thickness along z-axis of the crystal, H z is the
magnetic field applied along z-axis. Current I is flowing along x-axis. Hall voltage V H is
developed across the faces normal to y-axis. l is the length of the crystal along x-axis.

(i). Hall coefficient RH is given by

VH .d
RH = (volts cm amp-1gauss-1) or (×108 cm3coulomb-1)
I.H Z
Where
VH is in volts, I in ampere, d in cm and Hz in gauss.

(ii). Carrier density is given by

n 1 -3
= cm , where q is the electronic charge
RH q

(iii). Carrier mobility

2
μ = RHσ cm /volt-sec, where is the conductivity
of the given sample.

THEORY:
An e.m.f. is setup transversely or across a current carrying conductor when a
perpendicular magnetic field is applied. This is called Hall effect.
A static magnetic field has no effect on charge when it is not in motion but when
charge flows, a magnetic field directed perpendicular to the direction of flow produces a
mutually perpendicular force on the charge which causes the electron’s path to bend. As a
result of this the electrons accumulates on one side of the slab and are deficient on the other
side. Thus, an electric field is created in the y-direction, which is called the Hall field, E H.
EH can be written as
EH = j RH Hz (1)
where j is the current density and is given by j = n q
v
where v is the drift velocity of the carrier.
Now let us consider a bar of semiconductor having the dimension l, b and d. Let current
density j is directed along x-axis and H along z-axis, then E H will be along y-axis. Then we
can write

(VH / b) VH d
RH (2)
jHZ IHZ
Where VH is the Hall voltage appearing between the two surfaces perpendicular to b and
I=jbd.

In general Hall voltage is not a linear function of applied field i.e. the Hall coefficient is not
a constant but a function of applied magnetic field. Consequently, interpretation of Hall
voltage is not a simple matter. However, it is easy to calculate Hall voltage if it is assumed
that all the carriers have the same drift velocity. We will do this assuming the carriers of
only one type are
 3

present. Metal and doped semiconductors are the example of this type where one carrier
dominates.

The magnetic force on the carriers FM =

q (v x H)
is compensated by the Hall field. Since FH=qEH, we can write v x H =
EH
Substituting all these values in equation (2)

EH vHZ 1
RH = = = (3)
jHZ qnvH Z nq

From this equation it is clear that the sign of the Hall coefficient depend upon the sign of q.
This means that in p-type RH would be positive while in n-type RH would be negative. Also
for a mixed magnetic field and input current, the Hall voltage is proportional to 1/n or its
resistivity. When one carrier dominates the conductivity of the material = nq where is the
mobility of the charge carriers.

Thus
μ = RHσ (4)
Equation (4) provides the experimental measurement of mobility. RH is
expressed in cm3coulumb-1. Thus the mobility is expressed in units of cm2volt-1sec-1.

PROCEDURE:
1. Connect the widthwise contacts of the Hall probe to the voltage terminal and
lengthwise contacts to current terminals of the Hall effect setup.
2. Now switch on the Hall effect setup and adjust the current to a few mA (don’t
exceed 6 mA).
3. Check the ‘zero field potential’ by changing the knob to the voltage side. This
voltage is error voltage and should be subtracted from the Hall voltage reading
(when Hall probe is outside the magnetic field).
4. Now place probe between the magnetic poles and switch on the electromagnet
power supply. Adjust the current to any desired value and rotate the probe till it
becomes perpendicular to the magnetic field. Hall voltage will be maximum in this
adjustment.
5. Measure the Hall voltage as a function of current keeping the magnetic field
constant (say, at 1200 Gauss). Plot a graph between current and Hall voltage.
6. Do the experiment for both n-type and p-type samples.
OBSERVATIONS:

Thickness of the Ge crystal probes = 0.50mm

Conductivity σ of Ge crystal probe (n-type)= 0.2 ohm-1cm-1
Conductivity σ of Ge crystal probe (p-type) = 0.125 ohm-1cm-1

Table for the variation of Hall voltage as a function of current

Magnetic field Hz = 1200 Gauss

S.No. Current I Hall

in mA voltage
VH in mV

CALCULATIONS:

1. From the graph (Hall voltage versus current):

Slope of the graph = VH/ I = ….........
-1 -1
RH= slope × (d/HZ) volt cm amp guass

2. Calculate the charge carrier density from the relation

1
n= cm-3
RH q
3. Calculate the charge carrier mobility using the formula μ = R H
cm3volt-1sec-1
RESULTS:
For n-type material:
The value of Hall coefficient RH = ……… cm3coulumb-1 The
-3
charge carrier density n = ……………. cm
2 -1 -1
The mobility of the charge carrier μ = …………… cm volt sec
For P-type material:
3 -1
The value of Hall coefficient RH= ……….. cm coulumb
-3
The charge carrier density n = ………… cm
2 -1 -1
The mobility of the charge carrier μ = …… cm volt sec

PRECAUTIONS:
1. Hall probe is placed between the magnetic poles such that Hall voltage is maximum.
2. The current through the Hall probe should strictly be within the limits mentioned by
the manufacturer.
3. The distance between the pole pieces of the electromagnet should not be changed
during the whole experiment.

OUTCOME:

Student will learn the concept of emf develop in a semiconductor when placed in electric
and magnetic field, understand the direction of Lorentz force and how to calculate the
different parameters such as Hall Co-efficient, carrier density and carrier mobility.

TRY TO ANSWER:
1. What is Hall effect?
2. How will you determine the direction of the force exerted on the charge carriers?
3. What is Hall coefficient?
4. What happens to the induced Hall electric field when the strength of applied
magnetic field is increased?
5. What happens to the Hall coefficient when the number of charge carriers (say
electrons) per unit volume is decreased?
6. How does the concentration of charge carriers can be increased in a semi-conductor?
7. What do you mean by mobility of a charge carrier?
8. How does the mobility of a charge carrier depend on the electrical conductivity of
the specimen?
9. How will you determine the mobility of charge carrier in your experiment?
10. What are the importance of Hall effect?
11. Which type of the charge carrier has greater mobility?
12. How does the mobility of charge carriers (electrons and holes) vary with the rise of
temperature in semiconductors?