Improved quantitative mobility spectrum analysis for Hall characterization

We present an improved quantitative mobility spectrum analysis (i-QMSA) pro cedure for determining free electron and hole densities and mobilities from magnetic-field-dependent Hall and resistivity measurements on bulk or laye red semiconductor samples. The i-QMSA technique is based on a fundamentally new approach, which optimizes the fit to the conductivity tensor component s and their slopes by making those adjustments in the mobility spectra that result in the greatest error reduction. Empirical procedures for manipulat ing the mobility spectra are also introduced, with the dual purpose of redu cing the error of the fit and simplifying the shape of the spectra to minim ize the presence of unphysical artifacts. A fully automated computer implem entation of the improved QMSA is applied to representative synthetic and re al data sets involving various semiconductor material systems. These result s show that, as compared with previous approaches, the presented algorithm maximizes the information that may be extracted from a given data set, and is suitable for use as a standard tool in the characterization of semicondu ctor material and device transport properties. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)07321-6].