Hall Constant of Cadmium Oxide

Abstract

CADMIUM oxide has an electrical conductivity considerably higher than is exhibited by other metallic oxides¹, with the possible exception of Fe₃O₄. As an electronic semi-conductor it possesses unusual properties in that its thermo-electric power increases with increasing temperature², while its conductivity decreases slowly with increasing temperature³. As a means of determining the nature of the conduction mechanism which leads to quasi-metallic properties in a semi-conducting oxide, the Hall coefficient R was measured as a function of temperature and oxygen pressure for specimens of cadmium oxide made from material of the kind used by Andrews² and by Wright³. By this means the sign and concentration n_f of the charge carriers can be determined.