EFFECT OF MAGNETIC FIELD ON GERMANIUM P-N HOMOJUNCTION

Abstract

In this study, the effect of magnetic field, which is perpendicular to junction current, on diffusion current has been investigated in Germanium based p-n homojunction diodes, theoretically. The magnetic field dependent diffusion current has been derived analytically. Resulting magnetic field dependent diode equation has been used to produce current – voltage theoretical data. Using this data, current – voltage curves of devices, I(B) - V have been plotted under different magnetic fields and effect of magnetic field on current – voltage characteristics has been investigated. According to these results, it has been observed that increasing magnetic field increases potential barrier Vth, decreases junction current and reverse saturation current I0. Also effect of magnetic field on static and dynamic magnetoresistances, using R_d(B) – V and R_s(B) – V graphs which is plotted using theoretical data, have been analyzed and it has been observed that increasing magnetic field increases static and dynamic magnetoresistance in Germanium based devices.

Keywords

• Keywords: Semiconductor
• magnetic field
• magnetoresistance
• p-n junction

References

1. Holt D. B., Yacobi B.G., “Extended Defects In Semiconductors”, Cambridge University Pres, 2007.
2. Sze S.M., “Semiconductor Devices”, John Wiley&Sons, New York, 18, 2002, pp.112-235.
3. J. R. Hook, H. E. Hall, “solid state physics”, John Wiley&Sons, second edition, 1992.
4. He, J., Fang, M., Li, B. ve Cao, Y., “A new analytic approximation to general diode equation”, Solid State Electronics, 50, 2006, pp.1371-1374.
5. Achuthan, M. K. ve Bhat, K. N., “Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices”, The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008, pp.1330-1344.
6. Aldridge, R. V., Davis, K. Ve Holloway, M., “An investigation of the effect of a magnetic field on the forward characteristics of some silicon diodes at low tempereatures”, J Phys D Appl Phys, 8, 1974, pp.64-68.
7. Aldridge, R. V., “On the behaviour of forward biased silicon diodes at low temperatures”, Solid - State Electronics, 17, 1973, pp.617-619.
8. Constantinescu, C. and Dolocan, V., “On the p-n junctions in the electric and magnetic field”, Int J Electronics, 28, 1970, pp.433-440.

9. Desai, P., Shakya, P., Kreouzis, T. ve Gillin, P.W., “Magnetoresistance in organic light-emitting diode structures under illumination”, Physical Review B, 76, 2007, pp.235202-235210.
10. Gadjialiev, M. M. ve Pirmagomedov, Z. Sh., “Effect of Magnetic Field on the Current-Voltage Characteristic of the n-GaAs-p-Ge Heterojunction”, ISSN 1063-7826, Semiconductors, 42, 2008, pp.1034-1036.
11. Luo, Z. ve Gao, J., “Anomalous temperature and magnetic field dependences of current voltaj characteristics in Pr0.6 Ca0.4 MnO3/Nb doped SrTiO3 heterojunctions”, J Phys D Appl Phys, 43, 2010, pp.175003-175015.
12. Abdelaoui, M. ve Benzohra, M., “Effect of a magnetic field on the conduction mechanism in silicon P+N junctions”, Microelectronics Journal, 37, 2006, pp.127-132.
13. Misra, M. ve Srivastava, G. P., “Diffusion of Minority Carriers in the Base Region of an Alloy Junction Transistor in the Presence of a Magnetic Field”, J Appl. Phys, 39, 1968, pp.2127-2131.
14. Moll, J. L., “The Evolution of the Theory of the Current-Voltage Characteristics of p-n Junctions”, Proc IRE, 46, 1958, pp.10761089.
15. Pietonpol, W. J., “pn junction rectifier and photocell”, Phys Rev, 82, 1951, pp.120-131.
16. Sah, C. T., Noyce, R. N. ve Shockley, W., “Carrier Generation and Recombination in p-n Junction and p-n Junction Characteristics”, Proc. IRE, 45, 1957, pp.1228-1235.
17. Shockley, W., “The Theory of p-n Junctions in Semiconductors and p-n Junction Transistors”, Bell Sys Tech J, 28, 1949, pp.435-489.
18. Streetman, B. G., Banerjee, S., “Solid State Electronic Devices”, Prentice Hall International, Inc., United States of America, 2000.
19. Swami, R. ve Tantry, B., “Effect of an intense magnetic field on the difussion of minority carriers in semiconductors”, J Phys D Appl Phys, 5, 1971, pp.639-645.
20. Dunstan, W., “Variation of photovoltaic response with magnetic field for a germanium p-n junction”, Proc Phys Soc, 77, 1961, pp.459457.
21. Zhang, Y., Liu, R., Lei, Y. L. ve Xiong, Z.H., “Low temperature magnetic field effects in Alq3- based organic light emitting diodes”, Appl Phys Letter, 94, 2009, pp.83307-83319.