Condensed Matter Physics and Devices

Crystal structure: Symmetry elements in crystal, Unit cell, Wigner Seitz cell, fundamental lattice system and types, Miller indices, crystal structures of simple cubic, FCC, BCC, HCP, diamond.

Crystal Diffraction: Bragg’s law, X-ray and neutron diffraction, Rotating crystal method, laue Method and Powder method.

Thermal Properties of solids: Concepts of thermal energy and Phonons, Einstein theory of specific heat, Debye model of lattice specific heat.

Band theory of solids: Formation of bands, distinction between metals, insulators and semiconductors, periodic potential of a solid, wave function in a periodic lattice and Bloch theorem,  Physical origin of effective mass,negative effective mass and holes.

Electrical conductivity: Drude Lorentz theory of electrical conductivity. Sommerfield theory of conduction in metals, Mathiessen’s Rule, Thermal conductivity and Wiedemann – Franz law, The Hall effect.

Superconductivity: Zero resistivity, Critical temperature, critical magnetic field, Meissner effect, Type I and type II superconductors, BCS theory  (Basic idea),High Tc  superconductors.

Magnetic Properties: Classification of magnetic material, Diamagnetism, Paramagnetism due to free ions and conduction electrons, Curie’s law, ferromagnetism

Nature and Origin of Weiss molecular field. Domains, hysterisis loop, outline of antiferromagnetism  and ferrimagnetisms, ferrites.

Solid State Devices: Light emitting diode (LED) and  its application, Solar cell, SCR.

Operational amplifier: Differential amplifiers, differential gain and CMRR, inverting and non-inverting configurations Applications of op-amp: adder, subtractor, differentiator and integrator.

Field affect Transistor (FET): Classification of various types of FET, constructional details of FET, drain characteristics and baising of FET, operating regions, pinch-off voltage, idea of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET).