5/22/2017 BasicElectronicsHallEffect

BasicElectronicsHallEffect
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Hall Effect was named after Edwin Hall, its discoverer. This is somewhat similar to Flemings right hand rule. When a current carrying
conductor I is placed in a transverse magnetic field B, an electric field E is induced in the conductor perpendicular to both I and B. This
phenomenoniscalledasHallEffect.

Explanation
Whenacurrentcarryingconductorisplacedinatransversemagneticfield,thenthismagneticfieldexertssomepressureontheelectrons
whichtakeacurvedpathtocontinuetheirjourney.Theconductorwithenergyappliedisshowninthefollowingfigure.Themagneticfieldis
alsoindicated.

AselectronstravelthroughtheconductorthatliesinamagneticfieldB,theelectronswillexperienceamagneticforce.Thismagneticforce
willcausetheelectronstotravelclosetoonesidethantheother.Thiscreatesanegativechargeononesideandpositivechargeontheother,
asshowninthefollowingfigure.

ThisseparationofchargewillcreateavoltagedifferencewhichisknownasHallVoltageorHallEMF.Thevoltagebuildsupuntiltheelectric
fieldproducesanelectricforceonthechargethatisequalandoppositeofthemagneticforce.ThiseffectisknownasHallEffect.

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Fmagnetic = FElectric = q VD B = q EH

VDisthevelocitythateveryelectronisexperiencing

EH = VD B SinceV=Ed

Whereq=quantityofcharge

B =themagneticfield

VD =thedriftvelocity

EH =theHallelectriceffect

d=distancebetweentheplanesinaconductor(widthoftheconductor)

VH = H = EH d = VD B d

H = VD B d

ThisistheHallEMF

Uses
TheHallEffectisusedforobtaininginformationregardingthesemiconductortype,thesignofchargecarriers,tomeasureelectronorhole
concentrationandthemobility.Thereby,wecanalsoknowwhetherthematerialisaconductor,insulatororasemiconductor.Itisalsoused
tomeasuremagneticfluxdensityandpowerinanelectromagneticwave.

TypesofCurrents
Coming to the types of currents in semiconductors, there are two terms need to be discussed. They are Diffusion Current and Drift
Current.

Diffusioncurrent
Whendopingisdone,thereoccursadifferenceintheconcentrationofelectronsandholes.Theseelectronsandholestendtodiffusefrom
higherconcentrationofchargedensity,tolowerconcentrationlevel.Asthesearechargecarriers,theyconstituteacurrentcalleddiffusion
current.

Toknowaboutthisindetail,letusconsideranNtypematerialandaPtypematerial.

Ntypematerialhaselectronsasmajoritycarriersandfewholesasminoritycarriers.

Ptypematerialhasholesasmajoritycarriersandfewelectronsasminoritycarriers.

Ifthesetwomaterialsarebroughttooclosetoeachothertojoin,thenfewelectronsfromvalencebandofNtypematerial,tendtomove
towards Ptype material and few holes from valence band of Ptype material, tend to move towards Ntype material. The region between
thesetwomaterialswherethisdiffusiontakesplace,iscalledasDepletionregion.

Hence,thecurrentformedduetothediffusionoftheseelectronsandholes,withouttheapplicationofanykindofexternalenergy,canbe
termedasDiffusionCurrent.

DriftCurrent
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DriftCurrent
Thecurrentformedduetothedrift(movement)ofchargedparticles(electronsorholes)duetotheappliedelectricfield,iscalledasDrift
Current.Thefollowingfigureexplainsthedriftcurrent,whetherhowtheappliedelectricfield,makesthedifference.

Theamountofcurrentflowdependsuponthechargeapplied.Thewidthofdepletionregionalsogetsaffected,bythisdriftcurrent.Tomakea
componentfunctioninanactivecircuit,thisdriftcurrentplaysanimportantrole.

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