There's a new addition to the Lake Shore Academy: "How Does it Work?" video education series. This introduction to Hall effect measurement uses animations to illustrate Hall effect and explores the procedure of conducting Hall effect measurements on a semiconductor material using the van der Pauw sample geometry and measurement method. With an accurate measurement of the material resistivity and Hall effect, the researcher is then able to calculate derived parameters such as carrier type (p-type or n-type), carrier concentration or carrier density, and mobility. These are the characteristics of most interest to the researcher trying to determine a material's suitability as a semiconductor.
The video goes step-by-step through the process of conducting a Hall effect measurement, from sample geometry selection to the formulas required to calculate the derived parameters, and is an excellent tool for those new to Hall effect measurement.
Isolating the Hall voltage requires a series of steps to remove undesired voltage effects such as thermoelectric voltage, resulting from dissimilarities in the material, and misalignment voltage that is a result of the geometry of the sample. These effects are removed using current reversal and field reversal techniques discussed in the video.
This video is a primer on the subject of Hall effect measurement that doesn't get into some of the more complex aspects of the practical application, such as contact quality and photoconductive and photovoltaic effects. Though, stay tuned for the next video in this series which will look into these other more application specific implications in greater detail. To receive more educational content like this video, sign up for our mailing list using the link below.
