A Brief Overview for Fundamental Electrical Characterization Techniques for Thin Films and Nanostructures

Abstract

Thin films and nano materials are crucial for the advancement of technology and industrial applications. Electrical characterization of such materials is crucial for understanding the internal characteristics of the materials and to produced advanced and innovative materials. Thin films are special materials which were applied as a layer on a certain surface. Such films were often applied in nanoscale and therefore, they were associated with nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Thin films were used in electronical devices, solar cells, sensors, solar harvesting devices, detector technologies, etc.  Electrical characterization of thin films and nanostructures enables researchers to investigate different properties such as impedance, resistance, capacitance under various conditions such as temperature, frequency, voltage, etc. Materials in desired electrical properties could be developed. Similarly, nanomaterials also exhibit unique characteristics where electrical characterization techniques has important role for understanding the intrinsic properties the materials. Nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and metal nanoparticles exhibit outstanding electrical and electronical characteristics. Electrical characterization of such materials may find applications in energy storage applications, biomedical applications etc. In this report, we briefly discussed electrical characterization methods used for thin films and nanomaterials such as Hall Effect, Four Point Probe Technique, Van der Pauw Technique, Capacitance – Voltage (C-V) Measurements, Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy.