Enrollment year
2017/2018
Academic discipline
FIS/03 (MATERIAL PHYSICS)
Department
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
Curriculum
Didattica e storia della fisica
Period
1st semester (02/10/2017 - 19/01/2018)
Lesson hours
48 lesson hours
Language
Italian, English-friendly:
1) The teaching material (textbooks, slides.) is in English;
2) The exam can be held in English, upon request by the student;
3) Part or all of the lectures can be held in English, upon agreement with the students.
Prerequisites
Basic notions of quantum physics, electromagnetism, optics, basic statistical mechanics (preferably).
Learning outcomes
Learning of basic concepts and physical phenomena related to solid state physics, with reference to both theoretical and phenomenological concepts. The student will be acquainted with the main properties of crystalline solids based on quantum mechanics and electromagnetism, will be aware of most common experimental techniques, and will be able to interpret results like e.g. band structures, Fermi surfaces, phonon dispersions, optical spectra of solids.
Course contents
The course deals with fundamental concepts of solid state physics, focusing on electron levels in cristalline solids, lattice vibrations, optical properties, semiconductor physics. The topics include: free electrons in metals, Drude and Sommerfeld theories; crystal lattices, Bloch theorem, electrons and holes; classification of solids and chemical bond; energy bands, basic methods for calculations and measurements, Fermi surfaces, electrons in a magnetic field; lattice vibrations and phonons; optical properties in insulators and semiconductors, complex dielectric function, interband transitions; homogeneous and inhomogeneous semiconductors, drift and diffusion, p-n junction, photovoltaic cells (monographic subject). The presentation of concepts and theoretical methods will be complemented by phenomenological examples, by discussion of the main experimental techniques for the measurement of physical quantities and by computational exercise sessions.
Teaching methods
Lectures (at the blackboard and/or with slides) complemented by a few exercises and lab visits
Reccomended or required readings
N.W. Ashcroft, N.D. Mermin, Solid State Physics (Holt-Rinehart, 1976).
G. Grosso and G. Pastori Parravicini, Solid State Physics (Academic Press, 2000; 2nd ed., 2014).
P.Y. Yu, M. Cardona, Fundamentals of Semiconductors: Physics and Material Properties, 4rd edition (Springer, 2010).
J. Nelson, The Physics of Solar Cells (Imperial College Press, London, 2003).
Assessment methods
Oral examination. For the examination it is recommended to focus on physical aspects (qualitative trends, figures, methods for measuring various physical properties) rather than on a detailed study of mathematical derivations.
Further information
Video-recordings of the lectures held in the a.y. 2015/2016 (mostly in English) are available on the Kiro portal.
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