The Hall effect

Ref. Ihn Ch. 10

Reminder: The Lorentz Force
F = q[E + (v  B)]
 Lorentz Force: Review
• Cyclotron Motion
FB = mar  qvB = (mv2/r)
• Orbit Radius
r = [(mv)/(|q|B)] = [p/(q|B|])
• Orbit Frequency A Momentum Filter!!
ω = 2πf = (|q|B)/m
• Orbit Energy A Mass Measurement Method!

K = (½)mv2 = (q2B2R2)/2m
• Velocity Filter
Undeflected trajectories in crossed E & B fields:
v = (E/B)
 Hall Effect

Electrons move in the y

direction and an electric
field component appears
in the y direction, Ey. This
will continue until the
Lorentz force is equal and
opposite to the electric
force due to the buildup of
electrons – that is, a
steady condition arises.
B
 The Classical Hall Effect
1400
Hall Resistance 1200 Slope Related to RH &
Ly Rxy (Ohms) 1000 Sample Dimensions
800

d 600
400

200

Ax 0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Magnetic Field (Tesla)
Ly is the transverse width of the sample
Ax is the transverse cross sectional area
The Lorentz Force tends to deflect jx. However, this sets up
an E-field which balances that Lorentz Force. Balance occurs when
Ey = vxBz = Vy/Ly. But jx = nevx (or ix = nevxAx). So
Rxy = Vy / ix = RH Bz × (Ly/Ax) where RH = 1/ned
3d-Hall coefficient
Hall’s Experiment (1879):

++++

Vy
----
I

Vx

B
Hall’s Experiment (1879):

++++

Vy
----
I

Vx

Roughly
Explained by
Drude Theory
Ryx=Vy / Ix Rxx=Vx / Ix 1900
B

B B
 The Drude theory of metals: the free electron theory of
metals
Paul Drude (1900): theory of electrical and thermal conduction in a metal
application of the kinetic theory of gases to a metal,
which is considered as a gas of electrons
mobile negatively charged electrons are confined in a
metal by attraction to immobile positively charged ions

in a metal
isolated atom

nucleus charge eZa

Z valence electrons are weakly bound to the nucleus (participate in chemical reactions)
Za – Z core electrons are tightly bound to the nucleus (play much less of a role in chemical
reactions)
in a metal – the core electrons remain bound to the nucleus to form the metallic ion
the valence electrons wander far away from their parent atoms
called conduction electrons or electrons
 The basic assumptions of the Drude model

1. between collisions the interaction of a given electron

with the other electrons is neglected independent electron approximation
and with the ions is neglected free electron approximation

2. collisions are instantaneous events

Drude considered electron scattering off
the impenetrable ion cores

the specific mechanism of the electron scattering is not considered below

3. an electron experiences a collision with a probability per unit time 1/τ

dt/τ – probability to undergo a collision within small time dt
randomly picked electron travels for a time τ before the next collision
τ is known as the relaxation time, the collision time, or the mean free time
τ is independent of an electron position and velocity

4. after each collision an electron emerges with a velocity that is randomly directed and
with a speed appropriate to the local temperature
 DC electrical conductivity of a metal

V = RI Ohm’s low
the Drude model provides an estimate for the resistance
introduce characteristics of the metal which are independent on the shape of the wire
E  j j  E
j=I/A – the current density
 – the resistivity L
R=L/A – the resistance A
= 1/ the conductivity
j  env
v is the average electron velocity

eE  ne 2 
v  j   E
m  m 
ne 2
j  E 
m
 m

ne2
at room temperatures
resistivities of metals are typically of the order of microohm centimeters (ohm-cm)
and  is typically 10-14 – 10-15 s

mean free path l=v0

v0 – the average electron speed
l measures the average distance an electron travels between collisions
2
estimate for v0 at Drude’s time1 2 mv0  3 2 k BT → v0~107 cm/s → l ~ 1 – 10 Å
consistent with Drude’s view that collisions are due to electron bumping into ions

at low temperatures very long mean free path can be achieved

l > 1 cm ~ 108 interatomic spacings!
the electrons do not simply bump off the ions!

the Drude model can be applied where

a precise understanding of the scattering mechanism is not required

particular cases: electric conductivity in spatially uniform static magnetic field

and in spatially uniform time-dependent electric field

Very disordered metals and semiconductors

 average average
dp ( t ) p( t ) momentum velocity
  f (t ) p ( t )  mv ( t )
dt 

motion under the influence of the force f(t) due to spatially uniform
electric and/or magnetic fields

equation of motion
for the momentum per electron

electron collisions introduce a frictional damping term for the momentum per electron
 Hall effect and magnetoresistance
Edwin Herbert Hall (1879): discovery of the Hall effect

the Hall effect is the electric

field developed across two
faces of a conductor
in the direction j×B
when a current j flows across
a magnetic field B

the Lorentz force FL   ev  B

in equilibrium jy = 0 → the transverse field (the Hall field) Ey due to the accumulated charges
balances the Lorentz force
quantities of interest:
Vx Ex
magnetoresistance R ( H )  Rxx  resistivity  ( H )   xx 
(transverse magnetoresistance) Ix jx
Vy Ey
Hall (off-diagonal) resistance R yx  Hall resistivity  yx 
Ix jx
Ey
the Hall coefficient RH 
jx B
RH → measurement of the sign of the carrier charge
RH is positive for positive charges and negative for negative charges
 Hall Effect
Initially, v  vx x̂  v y ŷ  vz ẑ
E  Ex x̂
B  Bz ẑ
  d 1    
F  m   v  e(E  v  B)
 dt  
m = effective mass  d 1
Fx  m  vx  e( Ex  v y B )
 dt  
 d 1
F y  m    v y  e( v x B )
 dt  
 Hall Effect

Steady state condition: mvx  e( Ex  v y B )


mv y
  e( E y  v x B )


e E x
vx     C v y
eB m
C  e E y
m vy     C v x
m
Hall Effect
eE y
vy    C vx  0
m
C vx
 Ey  m
e eB
E y  C Ex   Ex
m
e
vx   Ex
m
vx
 Ex  m
e
Hall Effect
The Hall coefficient is defined as:

eB
E x
Ey m 1
RH   2 
jx B ne  ne
Ex B
m
Semiconductors: Charge Carrier Density via Hall Effect
• Why is the Hall Effect useful? It can determine the carrier type
(electron vs. hole) & the carrier density n for a semiconductor.
• How? Place the semiconductor into external B field, push
current along one axis, & measure the induced Hall voltage VH
along the perpendicular axis.

n = [(IB)/(qwVH)]
  
Hole FB  qv  B Electron

+ charge – charge
Modern Physics
VERY LOW TEMPERATURE
2 D SAMPLE
VERY LOW DISORDER ++++

VH
----
I

VL
Study the electrons
Not the disorder

B
SEMICONDUCTOR PHYSICS!

Silicon Technology (i.e., Transistor)

III-V MBE (GaAs)
 The 2D Hall Effect

The surface current density is sx = vxn2Dq, where n2D is the

surface charge density.
RH = 1/n2De.

Rxy = Vy / ix = RH Bz. since sx = ix /Ly & Ey = Vy /Ly.

So, Rxy does NOT depend on the shape of the sample.
 measurable quantity – Hall resistance Vy B
Rxy  
Ix n2 D e for 3D systems n2 D  nLz
E  j j  E for 2D systems n2D=n
in the presence of magnetic field the  jx    xx  xy   E x 
resistivity and conductivity tensors become  j      E 
 y   yx yy   y 
  xx  xy   E x    xx  xy   jx 
for 2D:     E     yy   j y    xx  xy    xx  xy 
1

  yx  yy   y   yx       
  yx  yy    yx  yy 
 0 E x  c j y  jx
0
 0 E y  c jx  j y  xx   yy 
1  (c )2
 0  ne 2 / m
  0c
 xy   yx 
1 c  Ex   1  0 c  0   jx  1  (c )2
Ex  jx  jy
0 0 E     j 
 y  c    0 1  0  y 
 1
E y   c jx  jy 1  xx
0 0  xx 
m
 2  xx 
 0 ne   xx 2   xy 2
 1 0 c  0   xy
     B  xy  
    1   xy  c 
 c 0 0   0 ne  xx 2   xy 2
 Results of Hall measurements
A measurement of the two independent components of the resistivity
tensor allows us to determine the density and the mobility (scattering
time) of the electron gas.
2D Hall Effect (Edwin Hall + 100 Years)

++++
I ----
VH

VL

CLASSICAL PREDICTION

RH=VH / I RL=VL / I

B B
(Data: M. Cage)
T=1.2K

Hall
Bar VERY FLAT!

2 1
RH  2
Shubnikov e i
deHass
 RK / i
i = integer

Classical Regime
ZERO!
(Dissipationless)

RH=VH / I RL=VL / I

B B
Nobel prize, 1985

Why Quantization?
Why So Precise?
Why doesn’t X destroy effect?

X = Dirt
= Imperfect Sample Shape
= Imperfect Contacts …. etc

Accuracy = better than 1 part in 109

Now DEFINES the Ohm

RK=25812.807449 
 The Integer Quantum Hall Effect
Very important:
For a 2D electron
system only

First observed in 1980 by

Klaus von Klitzing
Awarded 1985 Nobel Prize.

Hall Conductance is quantized in units of e2/h, or

Hall Resistance Rxy = h/ie2, where i is an integer.
The quantum of conductance h/e2
is now known as the "Klitzing“!!
 B
Hall resistance  H  RH B  
ne
weak 1 m *
 xx   2 the Drude
magnetic  0 ne  model
fields c B
c  1  xy   the classical
 0 ne Hall effect

strong magnetic fields c  1 h


quantization of Hall resistance xy 
e 2
 eH 
at integer and fractional   n  
 hc 
the integer quantum Hall effect
and the fractional quantum Hall effect
from D.C. Tsui, RMP (1999) and from H.L. Stormer, RMP (1999)
 The Fractional Quantum Hall Effect
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded The 1998 Nobel
Prize in Physics jointly to Robert B. Laughlin (Stanford), Horst L.
Störmer (Columbia & Bell Labs) & Daniel C. Tsui, (Princeton)
• The researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize for discovering that electrons
acting together in strong magnetic fields can form new types of "particles", with
charges that are fractions of electron charges.
Citation: “For their discovery of a new form of quantum fluid
with fractionally charged excitations”
• Störmer & Tsui made the discovery in 1982 in an experiment using extremely
powerful magnetic fields & low temperatures. Within a year of the discovery
Laughlin had succeeded in explaining their result. His theory showed that
electrons in a powerful magnetic field can condense to form a kind of quantum
fluid related to the quantum fluids that occur in superconductivity & liquid
helium. What makes these fluids particularly important is that events in a drop
of quantum fluid can afford more profound insights into the general inner
structure dynamics of matter. The contributions of the three laureates have thus
led to yet another breakthrough in our understanding of quantum physics & to
the development of new theoretical concepts of significance in many branches
of modern physics.