Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction
At the liquid helium temperature and under application of magnetic fields up to 9.4 T, a voltage drop across a silicon diode with metallic conductivity of the emitter and base has been measured under passing a constant forward current through the diode. Observed magnetoresistance of the diode is pro...
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Інститут фізики напівпровідників імені В.Є. Лашкарьова НАН України
2011
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| Cite this: | Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction / V.L. Borblik, I.A. Rudnev, Yu.M. Shwarts, M.M. Shwarts // Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics. — 2011. — Т. 14, № 1. — С. 88-90. — Бібліогр.: 15 назв. — англ. |
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| author | Borblik, V.L. Rudnev, I.A. Shwarts, Yu.M. Shwarts, M.M. |
| author_facet | Borblik, V.L. Rudnev, I.A. Shwarts, Yu.M. Shwarts, M.M. |
| citation_txt | Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction / V.L. Borblik, I.A. Rudnev, Yu.M. Shwarts, M.M. Shwarts // Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics. — 2011. — Т. 14, № 1. — С. 88-90. — Бібліогр.: 15 назв. — англ. |
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| description | At the liquid helium temperature and under application of magnetic fields up to 9.4 T, a voltage drop across a silicon diode with metallic conductivity of the emitter and base has been measured under passing a constant forward current through the diode. Observed magnetoresistance of the diode is proved as a whole to be extremely small, negative at low fields and changing its sign when the field increases. In the positive region of the diode magnetoresistance, its field dependence is quadratic at first and then becomes close to the linear one. With increase in the current through the diode, the negative component of the diode magnetoresistance decreases, and the smaller its value, the more extended is the quadratic section and the shorter is the linear one. The results are interpreted as caused by hopping conduction over a system of electron “lakes” in the region of p-n junction.
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Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2011. V. 14, N 1. P. 88-90.
PACS 72.20.Ee, My, 85.30.Kk
Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction
V.L. Borblik1*, I.A. Rudnev2,3, Yu.M. Shwarts1, M.M. Shwarts1
1V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, 41, prospect Nauky, 03028 Kyiv, Ukraine
Phone: +38(044)5256292, fax: +38(044)5257463
2National Research Nuclear University “MEPI”, Moscow, Russia
3International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures, Wroclaw, Poland
*Corresponding author e-mail: borblik@isp.kiev.ua
Abstract. At the liquid helium temperature and under application of magnetic fields up
to 9.4 T, a voltage drop across a silicon diode with metallic conductivity of the emitter
and base has been measured under passing a constant forward current through the diode.
Observed magnetoresistance of the diode is proved as a whole to be extremely small,
negative at low fields and changing its sign when the field increases. In the positive
region of the diode magnetoresistance, its field dependence is quadratic at first and then
becomes close to the linear one. With increase in the current through the diode, the
negative component of the diode magnetoresistance decreases, and the smaller its value,
the more extended is the quadratic section and the shorter is the linear one. The results
are interpreted as caused by hopping conduction over a system of electron “lakes” in the
region of p-n junction.
Keywords: junction diode, silicon, low temperatures, hopping conduction,
magnetoresistance.
Manuscript received 13.09.10; accepted for publication 02.12.10; published online 28.02.11.
1. Introduction
Investigation of negative magnetoresistance (NMR) of
semiconductors doped with nonmagnetic impurities has
already a half-century history. It is observed at low
temperatures in a large number of semiconductor
materials at both sides of metal-insulator transition and
realized in semiconductors of both n- and p-type. In all
these cases, localization effects are responsible for
NMR – magnetic field moderates them increasing
thereby conductivity of the system.
As for particularly silicon, experimental results for
it are distinguished by sufficient variety. In the vicinity
of metal-insulator transition, the magnetoresistance of p-
Si is always positive both in the metallic region [1, 2]
and dielectric one [3]. In n-Si, the magnetoresistance is
positive in the region of hopping conduction and
negative in the metallic one where, however, it becomes
positive again with growth of the magnetic field [1, 3-7].
Deep into insulator region, the giant NMR (of the order
of 100%) [8] is observed both in n-type and p-type
silicon (at weak compensation).
Because the magnetoresistance in the metallic
region is always much lower than that in the dielectric
one, we have investigated (in attempt to reduce the
sensitivity of the diodes used for measuring at low
temperatures to magnetic field) the influence of
magnetic field on the resistance of silicon diodes, both
the emitter and base of which were doped up to metallic
conductivity. The resistance of these diodes is defined
completely by the resistance of p-n junction. Their
current-voltage characteristics measured by us
previously in absence of magnetic field [9, 10]
demonstrate predominance of the tunnel current at low
temperatures (over certain localized states). Its
temperature dependence is well described by the Mott
law, which is indicative of hopping nature inherent to the
current transfer through the p-n junction region. This
agrees with the commonly accepted viewpoint on nature
of the excess tunnel current in the heavily doped diodes.
However, it was not quite clearly what hops one
has to have in view: the hops via the impurity atoms or
the hops via the electron “lakes”. The point is that the
investigated diodes have been produced by opposing
diffusion of boron and phosphorus and, consequently,
they have a sufficient compensation region.
Furthermore, these phenomena are observed at the
applied voltages of the order of Eg / e (where Eg is the
© 2011, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
88
Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2011. V. 14, N 1. P. 88-90.
band gap and e is the electron charge) i.e. when the
diode is in the state of almost flat band. Since all shallow
impurities are ionized in this case, it has been supposed
in papers [9, 10] that electron hops take place just via the
system of electron “lakes” which are formed (in
accordance with [11]) in heavily doped and highly
compensated semiconductors. So, investigation of the
influence of magnetic field on such a diode means
investigation of the influence of magnetic field on this
specific hopping current, which allows us to define its
nature more exactly.
The results of measurements (at T = 4.2 K) of the
voltage drop U across the diode under passing through it
of a number of fixed currents I are shown in Fig. 1 as a
function of magnetic induction B. The measurements
have been made for the fields up to 9.4 T. As seen from
Fig. 1, the magnitude of the voltage drop across the
diode depends on the current value and is equal
approximately to 1.08 V at the current of 1 μA, to 1.10 V
at the current of 10 μA, and to 1.11 V at the current of
100 μA. Note that the band gap of silicon at T = 4.2 K
(and, consequently, the barrier height of the p-n
junction) constitutes 1.17 eV (but with allowance for
heavily doping, it is even smaller). So, the diode is really
in the almost flat band state.
In Fig. 2, the results of these measurements have
been presented as the ratio
0)0(
)0()(
U
U
U
UBU Δ
≡
− that
coincides with a relative change of the diode resistance
in magnetic field. At low fields, a negative component is
observed in the magnetoresistance of the diode, and it
decreases with growth of the feeding current. After
changing the magnetoresistance sign from negative to
positive (with growth of the field), its dependence on the
magnetic field is quadratic at first but then it becomes
close to the linear one. The smaller NMR value, the
more extended is the square section of the curve and the
shorter is the linear one.
0 2 4 6 8 10
1,08
1,09
1,10
1,11
1 μA
10 μA
100 μA
T=4.2 K
U
, V
B, T
Fig. 1. Dependence of the voltage drop across the diode on
magnetic induction at three values of the current through the
diode; T = 4.2 K.
0 2 4 6 8 10
-0,001
0,000
0,001
0,002
B2, T2
4.2 K
1 μA
Δ
U
/U
0
B, T
0 25 50 75 100
а
a
0 2 4 6 8 10
-0,0005
0,0000
0,0005
0,0010
B2, T2
Δ
U
/U
0
4.2 K
10 μA
B, T
0 25 50 75 100
b
b
0 2 4 6 8 10
0,0000
0,0005
B2, T2
Δ
U
/U
0
4.2 K
100 μA
B, T
0 25 50 75 100
c
c
Fig. 2. Relative value of the diode magnetoresistance as a
function of B (bottom curves) and B2 (top curves) at the
feeding currents of 1 (a), 10 (b), and 100 μА (c).
If observed hopping conduction were stipulated by
the hops via certain deep isolated impurities (all the
shallow impurities have been ionized!), it would be
expected changing the quadratic dependence of the
magnetoresistance into the root one ( B∝ ) in the high
fields [12], which is not observed. It remains only to
suppose that the hops take place still and all between
© 2011, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
89
Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2011. V. 14, N 1. P. 88-90.
electron “lakes”. Any theory of magnetoresistance for 3-
dimensional case under these conditions is absent up to
date. However, NMR for such type conductivity has
been predicted in the 2-dimensional case [13]. NMR has
been observed experimentally in the similar conditions
in heavily doped and highly compensated Ge where
conductivity also obeyed the Mott law [14].
Unfortunately, the fields did not exceed 0.5 Т in this
experiment, i.e. covered is only the region of negative
magnetoresistance.
Weakening the effect of NMR with growth of the
feeding current in our case may be explained completely
by increase in the Joule heating the sample when
emptying the electron “lakes”.
Table. Relative error of measuring temperature of 4.2 K by
means of silicon diodes produced in the Institute of Semi-
conductor Physics (ISP) (Kyiv, Ukraine) and by Lake Shore
Cryotronics, Inc. (USA) as a function of magnetic induction.
Excitation current for both diodes is equal to 10 μА.
B, T 1 2 3 4 5
For the diode
developed in ISP
(Ukraine) (ΔΤ/Τ, %)
1
1
–1
–3
–5
For the diode
temperature sensor of
LakeShore
Cryotronics, Inc.
(USA) in the most
favorable orientation
(ΔΤ/Τ, %)
–8
–9
–11
–15
–20
© 2011, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
In conclusion, we dwell on applied aspect of the
problem. In the Table, the calculated relative
measurement error when temperature of 4.2 K is
measured by means of investigated silicon diode is
presented as a function of magnetic induction (up to
5 T). For comparison, the analogous data for silicon
temperature sensor produced by Lake Shore Cryotronics,
Inc. (USA) were quoted from the firm catalog [15]. The
excitation current was 10 μA in both cases. It is seen that
our thermo-diode is appreciably less sensitive to the
influence of magnetic field. For example, the absolute
value of the temperature error at B = 5 T is equal to
0.21 K (for our thermo-diode) and to 0.84 K – for the
sensor of Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.
References
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3. P. Dai, J. Friedman and M.P. Sarachik, Hopping
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p. A265-A271 (1965).
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| institution | Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| issn | 1560-8034 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-12-07T17:17:16Z |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publisher | Інститут фізики напівпровідників імені В.Є. Лашкарьова НАН України |
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| spelling | Borblik, V.L. Rudnev, I.A. Shwarts, Yu.M. Shwarts, M.M. 2017-05-25T17:53:03Z 2017-05-25T17:53:03Z 2011 Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction / V.L. Borblik, I.A. Rudnev, Yu.M. Shwarts, M.M. Shwarts // Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics. — 2011. — Т. 14, № 1. — С. 88-90. — Бібліогр.: 15 назв. — англ. 1560-8034 PACS 72.20.Ee, My, 85.30.Kk https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/117628 At the liquid helium temperature and under application of magnetic fields up to 9.4 T, a voltage drop across a silicon diode with metallic conductivity of the emitter and base has been measured under passing a constant forward current through the diode. Observed magnetoresistance of the diode is proved as a whole to be extremely small, negative at low fields and changing its sign when the field increases. In the positive region of the diode magnetoresistance, its field dependence is quadratic at first and then becomes close to the linear one. With increase in the current through the diode, the negative component of the diode magnetoresistance decreases, and the smaller its value, the more extended is the quadratic section and the shorter is the linear one. The results are interpreted as caused by hopping conduction over a system of electron “lakes” in the region of p-n junction. en Інститут фізики напівпровідників імені В.Є. Лашкарьова НАН України Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction Article published earlier |
| spellingShingle | Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction Borblik, V.L. Rudnev, I.A. Shwarts, Yu.M. Shwarts, M.M. |
| title | Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction |
| title_full | Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction |
| title_fullStr | Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction |
| title_short | Negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction |
| title_sort | negative magnetoresistance of heavily doped silicon p-n junction |
| url | https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/117628 |
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