Condensed Matter Physics (MPHYCC-11)

Assignment #2

Objective
1. ‘Fermi level is located exactly half way between the valence and conduction band’ this
statement is true for
(a) Intrinsic semiconductor
(b) Extrinsic semiconductor
(c) Both
(d) None of these

2. If N is the number of primitive cells in the specimen. The number of orbital & electronic states
in the band are
(a) N & N
(b) 2N & 4N
(c) N & 2N
(d) 4N & 4N

3. Fermi Surface is a surface in a k-surface of constant

(a) Momentum
(b) Energy
(c) Angular Momentum
(d) None

4. According to free electron theory of metal, Fermi level is defined as

(a) Lowest filled level at 0K
(b) Highest filled level at 0K
(c) Lowest filled level at 300K
(d) Highest filled level at 300K

5. In the p-type semiconductor the minority charge carriers are

(a) Protons
(b) Holes
(c) Electrons
(d) Neutrons

6. The Bloch electrons reduces to free electron if the periodic potential becomes
(a) Infinite
(b) Identically zero
(c) Randomly fluctuates
(d) None of these

7. Integrals whose integrands contain product of wave functions centered on different lattice sites
are known as
(a) Hybridization
(b) Overlap integrals
(c) Mixed integral
(d) None of these

Short Answer Question

8. Explain what is meant by Fermi surface.
9. How is the periodicity of a lattice taken care in writing a Bloch function?
10. Explain why only the electrons near to the Fermi surface suffer collision to contribute the
electrical conductivity of a metal.
11. Show that for the free electron wave vector k is simply proportional P, where P is momentum
of the electron. While in case of Bloch electronk is not proportional to electronic momentum.
Explain why?
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Long Answer Question

12. Explain intrinsic semiconductor. Calculate electron and hole concentrations in an intrinsic
semiconductor. Show that the product ‘np’ is independent of the Fermi level. Discuss the
significance of the result.
13. Explain the extrinsic semiconductor. Find the Fermi level in case of n-type and p-type
semiconductor. Discuss the effect of doping concentration on the Fermi level.
14. What do you mean by ‘nearly free electron model’? Discuss the origin of band-gap.
15. Define the term effective mass of an electron. Is it different from the free electron mass? What
is crystal momentum?
16. Discuss the formation of allowed and forbidden energy bands on the basis of the Kronig-
Penney model. Discuss the extreme conditions when energy is either discrete or continuous.
What is the effect of changing the binding energy of electron on the energy bands?
17. Describe the periodic zone scheme, extended zone scheme and reduced zone scheme for
representing E-k relationships.
18. Describe the tight binding method of energy band calculation. Derive expression for energy of
a simple cubic structure.
19. Describe the cellular method for calculating the binding energy.
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Questions: Mathematical

20. The energy E(k) of electrons of wave vector k in a solid is given by E(𝐤) = Ak + Bk ,
where A and B are constants. What are the effective mass of electron and density of states at
𝐤=k
21. Density of states of free electrons in a solid moving with an energy 0.1eV is given by
2.15 10 e V cm . What will be the density of states for electrons moving with energy of
0.4eV?
22. The kinetic energy of a free electron at a corner of first Brillouin zone of a two dimensional
square lattice is larger than that of the electron at the mid-point of a side of the zone by a
factor b. What is the value of b?
23. Find the ratio between the kinetic energies of an electron in a two dimensional square lattice
which has𝑘 = , 𝑘 = and an electron has 𝑘 = , 𝑘 = 0