Theory of the hall effect in finite systems containing traps

Abstract

The paper presents a two-carrier one-dimensional transport analysis of the Hall effect, within the framework of a small signal theory, applicable to specimens of arbitrary size. The assumption of space charge neutrality is avoided and the analysis is general, except for the restriction to small magnetic fields and small currents. The boundary conditions at the Hall electrodes are assumed to depend on the effective surface recombination velocities, and the presence of both recombination and trapping centers is taken into account. The results show that the corrective terms involving surface properties, trapping and recombination centers can lead to drastic changes in the value and sign of the Hall voltage, as compared with that calculated by conventional methods. The results are believed to throw new light on the Hall effect measurements performed on amorphous layers.