6.730 | Spring 2003 | Graduate

Physics for Solid-State Applications

Course Description

This course examines classical and quantum models of electrons and lattice vibrations in solids, emphasizing physical models for elastic properties, electronic transport, and heat capacity. Topics covered include: crystal lattices, electronic energy band structures, phonon dispersion relatons, effective mass theorem, …
This course examines classical and quantum models of electrons and lattice vibrations in solids, emphasizing physical models for elastic properties, electronic transport, and heat capacity. Topics covered include: crystal lattices, electronic energy band structures, phonon dispersion relatons, effective mass theorem, semiclassical equations of motion, and impurity states in semiconductors, band structure and transport properties of selected semiconductors, and connection of quantum theory of solids with quasifermi levels and Boltzmann transport used in device modeling.
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Projects with Examples
A 2-D crystal showing a regular lattice of atomic orbitals.
Top: schematic of a 2-D crystal showing a regular lattice of atomic oribitals. Bottom: the calculated electronic bandstructure as a function of the electron’s crystal momentum (k). The core skills taught in this class will be to think of electron transport in k-space and to calculate the bandstructure as shown here. (Image by Rajeev Ram.)