\n\tNorthwestern University, Evanston, Ill., reports that a new method of semiconductor characterization that is more accurate, efficient, and simple than existing methods has been developed by its researchers. The technology involves measuring electrical conductivity while applying a magnetic field to the semiconductor. The field is then flipped and the same measurements are taken. This allows determination of how uniform the electrical conductivity is across the entire semiconductor.<\/p>\n
\n\t“We have figured out how to measure a single piece of material in a magnetic field while flipping the polarity to deduce the average variation in the density of electrons across the sample,” says Prof. Matthew Grayson of Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and leader of the research team. The method works because the measurements taken at the edge of the sample can be used to determine any variations in conductivity throughout the sample. Grayson’s research team has created a new mathematical method that has made semiconductor characterization more efficient, more precise, and simpler. By flipping the magnetic field and repeating one measurement, the method can quantify whether or not electrical conductivity is uniform across the entire material – a quality required for high-performance semiconductors.<\/p>\n