2010-Resistivity Profile of Silicon

From McGill University Physics Department Technical Services Wiki

The temperature-dependent resistivity profile of a silicon semicondutor was determined using a four-point probe technique. The resistivity was analyzed in temperature range from 77K - 367K using liquid nitrogen and a poorly conducting wire for cooling and heating respectively. It was found that the silicon sample was infact doped, causing the resistivity to increase in proportion to temperature (opposite to what is found in intrinsic silicon). We also demonstrate the abolishment of error due to contact resistance by using the four-point probe technique rather than simply two-probe by comparing the I-V traces at room temperature for each.