Measuring the mobility of single crystalline wires and its dependence on temperature and carrier density

J Phys Condens Matter. 2011 May 25;23(20):205803. doi: 10.1088/0953-8984/23/20/205803. Epub 2011 May 4.

Abstract

Kinetic transport parameters are fundamental for the development of electronic nanodevices. We present new results for the temperature dependence of mobility and carrier density in single crystalline In(2)O(3) samples and the method of extraction of these parameters which can be extended to similar systems. The data were obtained using a conventional Hall geometry and were quantitatively described by the semiconductor transport theory characterizing the electron transport as being controlled by the variable range hopping mechanism. A comprehensive analysis is provided showing the contribution of ionized impurities (low temperatures) and acoustic phonon (high temperatures) scattering mechanisms to the electron mobility. The approach presented here avoids common errors in kinetic parameter extraction from field effect data, serving as a versatile platform for direct investigation of any nanoscale electronic materials.