Crystalline Solids

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• explain and predict a wide range of the important properties of materials such as bonding, magnetism, electronic transport
• Be able to explain how certain experimental data has led to the development of the basic theories of condensed matter physics and the boundaries of the applicability of these theories
• Be equipped to go deeper into condensed matter physics either by further advanced courses or research
• Have some understanding of why condensed matter physics is interesting and important to society.

• Understand qualitatively the nature of bonding in solids. In particular, covalent, metallic, ionic, van der Waals and hydrogen bonding.
• Understand the scattering of x-rays, neutrons and electrons from a solid.
• Understand the concept of the crystal lattice, reciprocal lattice and Brillouin zones.
• Understand the formation of electronic bands in solids from atomic orbital’s and to be able to apply simple tight binding theory to understand the band structure of simple semiconductors and metals. And as part of this, to understand Bloch's theory and how the tight-binding and nearly free electron models of electronic bands inter-relate.
• Developed an understanding of the basic forms of magnetic properties in materials, i.e. diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism and anti-ferromagnetism, and be able to apply simple models to measurements of magnetic properties.
• Also to have a basic understanding of the formation of domains and the effect of pinning of domain walls in ferromagnets. Understand the nature of doping in semiconductors and how this can be used to create simple semiconductor devices.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures are supported by reading suggestions and weekly exercise sheets, two of which are marked.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

H P Myers (1977). Introductory Solid State Physics. Taylor and Francis.

N.W. Ashkroft and N.D. Mermin (1988). Solid State Physics. Thomson Learning.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External