To provide students with an opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the key principles and applications of Solid State Physics, and their relevance to current developments in physics.

  18 lectures, typically 2 lectures per week

  None

Examination (90%), bi-weekly problem sets, assessed in supervision groups (10%)

It is the default expectation that all courses will offer opportunities for reassessment or deferred assessment. Where it is not possible to offer this in some assessment components, the grade achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade, and any exceptions for this course are described below.

[No exceptions]

To provide students with an opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the key principles and applications of Solid State Physics, and their relevance to current developments in physics.

By the end of the course students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and broad understanding of Solid State Physics. They should be able to describe and analyse quantitatively processes, relationships and techniques relevant to the topics included in the course outline, applying these ideas and techniques to solve general classes of problems which may include straightforward unseen elements. They should be able to write down and, where appropriate, either prove or explain the underlying basis of physical laws relevant to the course topics, discussing their applications and appreciating their relation to the topics of other courses taken.

By the end of the course, students should:

■ be familiar with the concept and application of the free electron theory; including periodic boundary conditions, enumeration of states in k-space, density of states and Fermi energy, all including thinking in 1D, 2D and 3D;

■ understand the importance of the free electron theory in explaining electronic heat capacity, magnetic susceptibility, electron transport and heat capacity of metals;

■ also be able to explain the limitations and failures of the free electron theory;

■ demonstrate knowledge of different crystal systems and lattice and basis descriptions of crystals;

■ understand the differences between x-ray, neutron and electron diffraction;

■ understand the mathematical derivation for x-ray diffraction and the importance of atomic scattering and structure factors;

■ demonstrate knowledge of the concept of the reciprocal lattice and how this relates to Bragg scattering;

■ understand the importance of the Brillouin Zone in reciprocal lattice and its key role in diffraction;

■ be able to describe the nearly free electron theory and explain qualitatively how this leads to energy bands;

■ be able to understand how the central equations are formed in a periodic potential and how this leads to the concept of Bloch waves;

■ understand the mathematical basis of energy gaps and then explain how these apply in 1D, 2D and 3D;

■ know about the extended, periodic and reduced zone schemes in k-space and be able to draw and identify Brillouin Zones in 1D and 2D;

■ understand how filling of states leads to metal, insulating and semiconducting behavior;

■ be able to describe optical absorption for different semiconductors and explain the difference between direct and indirect gap materials;

■ understand extrinsic semiconductors, the law of mass action and the concept of effective mass;

■ be able to describe electron and hole concentrations in n and p type semiconductors and how the conductivity varies with temperature;

■ understand the importance of the concept of crystal momentum and be able to describe the importance of holes, the mobility of charge carriers in semiconductors and the importance of the Hall effect; and

■ be able to discuss the limitations of the nearly free electron theory.