Microwave method for the characterization of transport parameters of heterostructures and narrow gap semiconductor films

A nondestructive and easy-to-use microwave method at f= 36.4 GHz providing contactless determination of transport parameters both in n- and p-type semiconductor layers is presented. The method is based on relative measurements of the magnetic field dependences of the derivative of the modulus of the reflection coefficient with respect to the magnetic field d¦Γ¦/dB from a semiconductor wafer fully covering the waveguide. Applying the magnetic field modulation technique enables the detection of a magnetorefiection signal from a small amount of electrons in the case of p-type materials at low temperatures. Results of experiments and calculations for GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures with a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), for bulk p-InSb and p-CdxHg1 − xTe and for epitaxial p-CdxHg1 − xTe at liquid nitrogen temperatures are presented.