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Advanced Physics Laboratories

        
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Hall Effect

ABOUT THE EXPERIMENT
This classic demonstration of the effect of magnetic fields on charge carriers in semiconductors is one of the most elegant ways to show the existence of electronic band structure in solids. One of the triumphs of Hall's method is that it can be used to determine both the sign of the charge carrier and the concentration of carriers. This is very important for semiconductors which are "doped" with impurities to supply charge carriers. We will investigate both p- and n-type doping in samples of germanium, by measuring the temperature dependence of the concentration of carriers, and their mobility in the Ge lattice.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
  • Matter waves: verification of the DeBroglie hypothesis
  • Bragg diffraction of electron waves by crystals
  • Crystallography: the crystal lattice, classification schemes,  study of crystal structure by electron or x-ray diffraction
PREPARATION
  • Required reading:
    A.C. Melissinos, Experiments in Modern Physics, Chapter 3, Section 3.
    "The Hall Effect", 441-442 Laboratory Procedure (PDF)
    H. P. Meyers, Introductory Solid State Physics, Chap. 2,3.
    R. Eisberg and R. Resnick, Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei, and Particles, Chap. 3.1, Appendix Q.
    "Electron Diffraction", 441-442 Write-up
  • Recommended reading:
    C. Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics, Chap 1, 2.
    Serway, Moses, Moyer, Modern Physics, Sec 4.2.
OTHER DOCUMENTATION
  • Under construction