Magnetic field induced band depopulation in intrinsic InSb: A revisit

TL;DR

This study revisits the impact of magnetic fields on electron population in intrinsic InSb, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive measurements to accurately interpret band depopulation phenomena.

Contribution

It demonstrates that previous conclusions on band depopulation in InSb are inconclusive without simultaneous Hall and magnetoresistive measurements, highlighting the need for comprehensive modeling.

Findings

Hall coefficient dependence can be explained by ambipolar conduction

Simultaneous measurement of Hall and magnetoresistance is essential

Including both depopulation and ambipolar conduction yields better theoretical agreement

Abstract

The effect of Landau level formation on the population of intrinsic electrons in InSb is probed near room temperature in magnetic fields upto 16 Tesla. Although the measured magnetic field dependence of the Hall coefficient is qualitatively similar to published results, it is shown that the data may also be explained by simply including ambipolar conduction. Thus the inference on band depopulation drawn from previous measurements on InSb is inconclusive unless both the Hall and the magnetoresistive components of the resistivity tensor are simultaneously measured and modelled. When the model includes both depopulation and ambipolar conduction, a reasonable agreement with theory can be established.