Adama Science and Technology University

School of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering

Solid State Physics

Answer Key for Final Exam

Part II Short answer

1. (a) Sodium chloride – Face centered cubic (FCC) [0.5pt]

Cesium chloride – Body centered cubic (BCC) [0.5pt]
(b) Unit cell structure of Sodium chloride [1pt]

Unit cell structure of Cesium chloride [1pt]

(c) The potential Vo is called Binding Energy, [0.5pt]

when Vo 0, is the system stable [0.5pt]
 Because as its energy is lower than that state in which two atoms are
infinitely far apart (free atoms) [1.5pt]
2. Paramagnetic materials – is positive that is for which M is parallel to H [0.5pt]
Diamagnetic materials – χ is negative- that is, for which M is opposite to H [0.5pt]
Ferromagnetic materials– The magnetic susceptibility of ferromagnetic materials
may be very large. [0.5pt]
Examples
Paramagnetic- the ions of transition and rare-earth ions [0.5pt]
Diamagnetic- Ionic and covalent crystals [0.5pt]
Ferromagnetic- Fe, Co, and Ni, and their alloys [0.5pt]
3. Dipolar polarizability: molecules with permanent dipole moment are present with
random orientation. [1pt]
Electronic polarizability: The polarization occurred due to displacement of positive
charge and negative charge in dielectric material [1pt]
Ionic polarizability: occurred only in that dielectric material in which atoms
contain ionic bonds. When such a material is placed in an external electric field the
 separation between positive charge and negative charge is separated through larger
distance compare to original length. [1pt]

Part II Detailed explanation

4. At some frequency the shell begins to intersect the boundaries of the BZ, and
when this occurs the number of modes inside the shell decreases. [1.5pts]
When the radius of the shell is sufficiently large for the shell to lie completely
outside the zone, the density of states g(ω) vanishes entirely. [1.5pts]
5. (a) the dependence resulting entirely from the specific heat Cv [1pt]
(b) The dependence now being entirely due to the mean free path (l) [1pt]
(c) At low temperature, There are only a few phonons present, and in the latter the
few phonons which are excited at this low temperature are long-wavelength ones.
These are not effectively scattered by objects such as impurities, which are much
smaller in size than the wavelength.
 In the low-temperature region, the primary scattering mechanism is the
external boundary of the specimen, which leads to the so-called size or
geometrical effects. [2pts]
6. When an external signal of frequency is passed through the gas, it is strongly
absorbed. Photons from the signal are absorbed by electrons in the lower level,
which then make quantum transitions to the upper level 2. In addition, there is a
transition from upper level 2 to lower level 1. In this process a photon of frequency
ω is emitted for every quantum transition. Since this emission process is aided by the
signal, it is called stimulated emission. The two processes absorption and
stimulated emission-act competitively on the signal. The signal is amplified,
because there are more emitting atoms than absorbing ones. [2.5pts]

 The role of two parallel mirrors: A system of mirrors at both ends of the
laser glass amplifier causes the photons to travel back and forth through the
glass, stimulating more electrons to drop to their lower energy states and
emit laser photons. [1.5pts]
7.
 Property (i) indicates that En(k) is periodic means any two points in k-space
related to each other by a displacement equal to a reciprocal lattice vector
have the same energy [1.5pts]
 The inversion property (ii) shows that the band is symmetric with respect
to inversion around the origin k = 0 [1.5pts]
 Properties (iii) assert that the band has the same rotational symmetry as the
real lattice [1pt]
8. (a) n-type semiconductor is created when the impurities contribute electrons to
the CB of the semiconductors, and for this reason these impurities are called donors.
Since silicon is an element having 4 valence electrons, in order to have a free
electron, it must be doped with an element having one more valence electron than
silicon. A semiconductor in which n p is called an n-type semiconductor [1pt]
 (b) [1.5pts]

(c) The temperature has to be sufficiently high to ionize the donor and acceptor. But if
the temperature is progressively lowered, a point is reached at which the thermal energy
becomes too small to cause electron excitation. In that case, the electrons fall from the
CB into the donor level, and the conductivity of the sample diminishes dramatically.
This is referred to as freeze-out, in that the electrons are now "frozen" at their impurity
sites. [2pts]

9. (a) YES the energy gap is created [0.5pt]

How? In the empty-lattice model, energy gaps are created in k-space wherever bands
intersect, which occurs either at the center or the boundaries of the BZ [1pt]

(b) [2pts]

(c) The above diagram shows the Dispersion curves in the nearly-free-electron model, in
the reduced-zone and explained as follows. [2pts]

 The first and second bands, which previously touched at the point A (and, A') are
now split, so that an energy gap is created at the boundary of the Brillouin zone.
 A similar gap is created at the center of the zone, where bands 2 and 3 previously
intersected (point B) and also at point C, where bands 3 and 4 previously
intersected
 Generally, in the nearly free-electron (NFE) model the crystal potential is taken to
be very weak. The electron behaves essentially as a free particle, except when the
 wave vector k is very close to, or at, the boundaries of the zone. In these latter
regions, the potential leads to the creation of energy gaps.

Part III Work out

10.

First calculate the d-spacing between the (202) planes:

√
[0.5pt]

= [0.5pt]
√ √

( ) Where, n=1, 2 and 3 and λ= 1.54 Å [0.5pt]

( ) ° [1pt]

( ) ° [1pt]

( ) ° [1pt]

11.

[1pt]
( ) ( )

[1pt]

12.
The probability of occupancy is given by

( )

Required E=?

( )

( )

( )
 ( ) [1pt]

( ) [0.75pt]

( ) [0.75pt]

13. (a)
) and )
( ) [0.5pt] ( ) [0.5pt]

Now we have a pair of equations for α and ω as a function of k

[0.5pt]
A quadratic equation for ω2 can be obtained by cross multiplication

[0.5pt]

[1pt]
 This is the dispersion relation for one dimensional diatomic lattice

Frequency gap

(b) [1pt]
 The acoustic branch begins at the point. When k increases, the curve rises, linearly at first
(which explains why this branch is called acoustic), but then the rate of rise decrease.
 For the optical branch, it begins at K=0 with a finite frequency
 The frequency gap between the top of the acoustic branch and the bottom of the optical
branch is forbidden. [1pt]