PHL 120: PHYSICS OF MATERIALS

TUTORIAL SHEET 5: Band Theory of Solids, Semiconductors

Q.1.(a) Consider a two dimensional square lattice of side 0.3 nm. Compute electron momentum
at the sides of the first Brillouin zone. What is the energy of the free electron with this
momentum?
(b) Find the ratio between the kinetic energies of an electron in a two dimensional square lattice
which has kx=ky=/a and an electron which has kx=/a, ky=0.
Q.2. Construct the first Brillouin zone for a 2D oblique reciprocal lattice shown in figure 1.

Q.3. A 2D rectangular reciprocal lattice and a 2D hexagonal reciprocal lattice are shown in
Figures 2 and 3 respectively. What are the shapes of the first Brillouin zones for these two
reciprocal lattices.

Q.4. Construct of the first two Brillouin zones for a 2D square reciprocal lattice.
Q.5. (a) What are the two combinations of band structure that can cause a solid to be a metal?
(b) How are the band structures of insulators and semiconductors similar? How are they
different?
Q.6. (a) Why are some solids transparent to visible light and others opaque?
(b) The forbidden energy band is 1.1 eV in Si and 6 eV in diamond. Discuss the transparency of
these substances to visible light.
Q.7. Short questions:
(a) Assuming that its other properties do not also change with temperature, at what temperature
would you expect Carbon to begin to behave like a semiconductor?
(b) Why does the electrical conductivity of a metal decrease as the temperature is increased?
How would you expect the conductivity of a semiconductor to change with temperature?
(c) Why is that only electrons near EF contribute to the electrical conductivity?
(d) Three different materials have filled valence bands and empty conduction bands, and the
Fermi energy lies in the middle of the gap. The gap energies are 10 eV, 1 eV and 0.001 eV.
Classify the electrical properties of these materials at room temperature and 3 K.
Q.8. The E versus k relationship for the bottom of the conduction band of a semiconductor is of
the form E=Ak2, where A=510-37 Jm2. Calculate the effective mass of the conduction
electrons.
Q.9. What fraction of the conductivity in an intrinsic Si is carried by electrons and holes
respectively? Given n=0.19 and h=0.0425 in SI units.
Q.10. The resistivity of Ge (Eg=0.7 eV) at 20oC is 0.5 m. What is its resistivity at 40oC?
Q.11. For an intrinsic Si, the RT electrical conductivity is 410-4-1m-1; the electron and hole
mobilities are 0.14 and 0.048 m2/V-s respectively. Compute the electron and hole concentrations
at RT.
Q.12. At RT Ge has a band gap of 0.7 eV and a conduction electron concentration of about
n=21013 cm-3. Estimate the conduction electron concentration in diamond which has a band gap
of 5.4 eV.