Electrical Field and Current Distribution in Semiconductor Plasma in the Strong Magnetic Field

Abstract

In general case the steady magnetic field distorts the configuration of the current and potential lines in the solid-state plasma. Only for the long samples at a sufficient distance from the metal contacts the Hall electric field is homogeneous and fully compensates the effect of the magnetic field on the moving charge carriers, and the picture of the current lines is the same as in the absence of the magnetic field. Near the metal contacts the short-circuiting of Hall e.m.f. occurs and the configuration of the current lines becomes more complicated. Even for the samples of simple geometrical from (e.g. rectangular) the general methods of calculation of the potential distribution are absent. The new method of calculation of the potential and current distribution in the magnetized solid-state plasma is proposed regarding the role of metal contacts. Problems of this type occur at designing and manufacturing of Hall transducers, magnetohydrodynamic generators and converters. The pictures of electrical field and current lines in magnetized semiconductor plasma with regarding the role of metal contacts were obtained. Ill. 2, bibl. 6 (in English; summaries in English, Russian and Lithuanian).