Improving the precision of Hall effect measurements using a single-crystal copper probe

The circuitry and components of a Hall measurement kit were replaced with single-crystal copper (SCC) wires and parts prepared by a novel wire fabrication process. This process preserved the grain-free structure of SCC grown by the Czochralski method. The new kit was used to determine, with greatly improved precision, the electrical coefficients such as carrier density and mobility, establish the reproducibility of the measured values, and define the semiconductor type. The observed reduction in electrical signal losses and distortion has been attributed to grain boundary elimination. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3677333]