Unit name | Solid State Physics 3021 |
---|---|
Unit code | PHYS30021 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Professor. Dugdale |
Open unit status | Not open |
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
120 credit at Level I/5 in single and joint honours physics. |
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
Units you may not take alongside this one | |
School/department | School of Physics |
Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Electrons in Crystals and Semiconductors and Magnetism.
Brief description of simple crystal structures. Diffraction from periodic structures. The reciprocal lattice for various simple crystal structures. Electrons in crystals: free and nearly free electron theory - one electron approximation. Periodic boundary conditions. Density of states. Application of Fermi-Dirac distribution. Bloch Theorem; Energy bands. Phonons. Energy gaps, Bragg reflection and Brillouin zone boundaries. Reduced, extended and periodic zone schemes. Notion of a Fermi-surface and simple construction. Semi-classical theory of electron transport. Crystal momentum and effective mass. The distinction between metals, semiconductors and insulators. Electrons and holes. Transport in a free electron metal. Electron scattering in metals and semiconductors. Transport in semiconductors. The Hall effect. Elemental and compound semiconductors. Carrier density in intrinsic semiconductors. p- and n- type doping. The p-n junction. The work function and contact potential. Metal-semiconductor junctions. Types of magnetism. Pauli susceptibility. The Stoner model. Domains and the Curie temperature. Brief mention of superconductivity and the Meissner effect.
A pre-requisite for the Level 7 PHYSM0300 The Physics of Phase Transitions, PHYSM1000 Magnetism and Superconductivity and PHYSM2100 Semiconductor Physics.
Aims:
antiferromagnetism, and to understand what gives rise to these phenomena in metals.
The unit will be taught through a combination of
2 x coursework assignments (20%) and written examination (80%)
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHYS30021).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.