3B Scientific Experiment: Hall Effect in Semiconductors Basic equipment Features:

Objective: Investigating electrical conduction mechanisms in doped germanium with the Hall effect

The Hall effect occurs in electrically conductive materials located in a magnetic field B. The Hall voltage’s sign changes depending on whether the same current I is borne by positive or negative charge carriers. Its value depends on the charge carrier density. The Hall effect is consequently an important means of determining the mechanisms of charge transport in doped semiconductors. In this experiment, doped germanium crystals are examined at temperatures between 300 K and 450 K to ascertain the differences between electrical conduction enabled by doping, and intrinsic conduction enabled by thermal activation of electrons causing their transfer from the valence band into the conduction band.