Experiment no.

2
Determination of charge carrier density
(Virtual lab website: https://vlab.amrita.edu/?sub=1&brch=282&sim=879&cnt=1)

Diagram:

Aim:
1. To determine the Hall voltage developed across the sample material.
2. To calculate the Hall coefficient and the carrier concentration of the sample material.

Apparatus:
Two solenoids, Constant current supply, Four probe, Digital gauss meter, Hall effect apparatus (which consist of
Constant Current Generator (CCG), digital milli voltmeter and Hall probe).

Theory:
If a current carrying conductor placed in a perpendicular magnetic field, a potential difference will generate in the
conductor which is perpendicular to both magnetic field and current. This phenomenon is called Hall Effect. In solid
state physics, Hall effect is an important tool to characterize the materials especially semiconductors. It directly
determines both the sign and density of charge carriers in a given sample.

Consider a rectangular conductor of thickness t kept in XY plane. An electric field is applied in X-direction using
Constant Current Generator (CCG), so that current I flow through the sample. If w is the width of the sample and t is
the thickness. There for current density is given by
 Jx=I/wt (1)

If the magnetic field is applied along negative z-axis, the Lorentz force moves the charge carriers (say electrons)
toward the y-direction. This results in accumulation of charge carriers at the top edge of the sample. This set up a
transverse electric field Ey in the sample. This develop a potential difference along y-axis is known as Hall
voltage VH and this effect is called Hall Effect.

A current is made to flow through the sample material and the voltage difference between its top and bottom is
measured using a volt-meter. When the applied magnetic field B=0,the voltage difference will be zero.
We know that a current flows in response to an applied electric field with its direction as conventional and it is
either due to the flow of holes in the direction of current or the movement of electrons backward. In both cases,

under the application of magnetic field the magnetic Lorentz force, causes the carriers to curve
upwards. Since the charges cannot escape from the material, a vertical charge imbalance builds up. This charge
imbalance produces an electric field which counteracts with the magnetic force and a steady state is established.
The vertical electric field can be measured as a transverse voltage difference using a voltmeter.
In steady state condition, the magnetic force is balanced by the electric force. Mathematically we can express it as

(2)

Where 'e' the electric charge, 'E' the hall electric field developed, 'B' the applied magnetic field and 'v' is the drift
velocity of charge carriers.
And the current 'I' can be expressed as,

(3)

Where 'n' is the number density of electrons in the conductor of length l ,breadth 'w' and thickness 't'.
Using (1) and (2) the Hall voltage VH can be written as,

(4)

by rearranging eq(4) we get

(5)

Where RH is called the Hall coefficient.

RH=1/ne (6)

Procedure:
Combo box
Select procedure: This is used to select the part of the experiment to perform.
 1) Magnetic field Vs Current
2) Hall effect setup.
Select Material: This slider activate only if Hall Effect setup is selected. And this is used to select the material for
finding Hall coefficient and carrier concentration.

Button
Insert Probe/ Remove Probe: This button used to insert/remove the probe in between the solenoid.
Show Voltage/ Current: This will activate only if Hall Effect setup selected and it used to display the Hall voltage/
current in the digital meter.
Reset: This button is used to repeat the experiment.

Slider
Current : This slider used to vary the current flowing through the Solenoid.
Hall Current: This slider used to change the hall current
Thickness: This slider used to change the thickness of the material selected.

Procedure for doing the simulation:

To measure the magnetic field generated in the solenoid

• Select Magnetic field Vs Current from the procedure combo-box.

• Click Insert Probe button

• Placing the probe in between the solenoid by clicking the wooden stand in the simulator.

• Using Current slider, varying the current through the solenoid and corresponding magnetic field is to be
noted from Gauss meter.

Trial No: Current through solenoid Magnetic field generated

01

02

03

04

Hall Effect apparatus

• Select Hall Effect Setup from the Select the procedure combo box

• Click Insert Hall Probe button

 • Placing the probe in between the solenoid by clicking the wooden stand in the simulator.

• Set "current slider" value to minimum.

• Select the material from “Select Material” combo-box.

• Select the Thickness of the material using the slider Thickness.

• Vary the Hall current using the sllider Hall current.

• Note down the corresponding Hall voltage by clicking “show voltage” button.

• Then calculate Hall coefficient and carrier concentration of that material using the equation

RH=VHt/(I*B)
Where RH is the Hall coefficient
RH=1/ne
And n is the carrier concentration
• Repeat the experiment with different magnetic file.

Trail No: Magnetic Field Thickness (t) m Hall current, Hall Voltage mV RH
(Tesla T) mA

Result:

Hall coefficient of the material = .........................