OVERVIEW

This Master Course focuses on electronic properties in crystals. The main idea is to give the basis in order to understand the electronic quantum theory of solids.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This teaching aims to provide the fundamentals of solid-state physics, with a particular focus on electronic properties. The main objective is to explain the dynamics of electrons within crystalline solids, with particular emphasis on semiconductors. The main magnetic properties of solids, including ferromagnetism, will also be explained. Finally, the theoretical foundations will be laid for an understanding of the behaviour of superconductors and their transport properties.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The educational objective of this course is to explain the dynamics of electrons in solids with particular emphasis on semiconductors, magnetic materials and superconductors.  At the end of the course the student will acquire the skills necessary to understand the properties of electrons in solids. In particular, they will have the appropriated basis for understanding the behavior of semiconductors, magnetism and superconductivity.

TEACHING METHODS

The course is at the blackboard with also the possibility to see slides especially connected to  experiments.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Electronic bands in crystals

• Bravais lattices and reciprocal lattice. Dynamical scales in solids.
• Bloch theorem: energy bands. Tight binding model.
• Band occupation: metals and insulators. Examples (3D systems, graphene).

Dynamics and transport properties  

• Semiclassical motion: Bloch package, group velocity and effective mass.
• Dynamics in the presence of external fields. Scattering processes and electrical conductivity.

Semiconductors

• Direct or indirect gap semiconductors, interband optical transitions.
• Carrier statistics at thermodynamic equilibrium.
• Mass action law and carrier concentration for undoped semiconductors.
• Doping in semiconductors, hydrogenoid model, carrier concentrations.
• Transport properties: drift and diffusion current, recombination and generation processes.
• Technological applications: pn junction, LEDs.

Magnetism

• Introduction to magnetic properties.
• Magnetic behaviors of single atoms: diamagnetic and paramagnetic terms.
• Magnetic susceptibility of paramagnetic atoms, Curie's law.
• Ferromagnetism: phenomenological model, exchange interaction, Heisenberg Hamiltonian.
• Mean field approach and identification of the Weiss effective field.
• Landau theory for phase transitions.

Superconductivity

• Phenomenological aspects: electrical, thermodynamic and magnetic properties.
• Meissner effect and London's phenomenological model.
• Origin of the attractive interaction between electrons, Cooper pair and  bond energy.
• Ginzburg Landau's phenomenological theory for the description of the transition to the superconducting phase. 
• Flux quantization and Josephson effect.
• BCS microscopic theory: condensate of pairs, BCS Hamiltonian, variational approach for the ground state. Digonalization of BCS Hamiltonian within mean filed:  excitations.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

*G. Grosso and G. Pastori-Parravicini "Solid State Physics", Academic Press (2014).

* H.Ibach and H Luth "Solid-State Physics, IV Edition, Springer (2009).

*  N. Ashcroft and N. Mermin "Solid State Physics, Saunders College Publishing (1976).

* C. Kittel "Introduzione alla Fisica dello Stato Solido", Casa Editrice Ambrosiana (2008).

* M. Sassetti "Fisica della Materia 2", appunti relativi alle lezioni svolte in classe (2026). 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

From  23 september 2024 follow the time schedule written  qui 

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written and oral exam will be present.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

During the period of lectures there are guided excercises in order to verify the status of knowledge of the students. The written exam presents three problems each with several questions related to the programme. The difficulty of the questions is graduated in order to verify the status of the preparation of the students.

The oral part is done by the teacher responsible of the course and another expert in the field, usually a teacher of the staff. The duration of the oral proof is about 30 minutes.

The final mark correspond to an average between the written and oral exams.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Compensatory and dispensatory measures Disability/Invalidity/Specific Learning Disorder

Dispensatory measures and compensatory tools are intended to enable students to achieve the same learning objectives as their fellow students, not to facilitate the examination.

The use of compensatory tools and the application of dispensatory measures must be authorised in advance by the teacher in agreement with the Referee.

To take advantage of the adaptations during the examination, fill in the Adaptation request form; the request will be automatically sent by the system to the teacher in charge of the teaching, to the Contact Person of your School/Area/Department and in copy to the Sector; you will also receive a copy of the request sent by e-mail.

The adjustments available to students are as follows:

• Additional time (+30% DSA)
• Additional time (+50% disability/invalidity)
• Additional time during oral exams to organise the answer
• Calculator (programmable and graphing calculators are not allowed)
• Conceptual Maps
• Tables and/or Forms
• Take the exam in written form
• Take the exam in oral form
• Tutor reader (for written tests only)
• Tutor-writer (for written tests only)

Your request for adaptations must be submitted at least 7 working days before the scheduled exam date.

All information for students with disabilities and DSA is available on the webpage: Services for students with disabilities or DSA | UniGe | University of Genoa

Reference for inclusion: Sergio Di Domizio - sergio.didomizio@unige.it