Electronic Properties of Materials

Lecture – 1: The Ideal Crystal

Instructor: Muhammad Suhail Najeeb (MDSN)

Lecturer, Dept. of ECE, EWU

Reference: Principles of Electronic Materials & Devices – S. O. Kasap – 3 rd Edn.

General Bonding Principle (1.3.1)

Condition for Equilibrium:

ro = bond length
Eo = bond energy
Classification of Materials
The Ideal Crystal (1.8.1)
• Crystalline Solid: A solid in which the atoms bond with each other in a
regular pattern to form a periodic collection of atoms.
The Ideal Crystal (1.8.1)
• Crystalline Solid: A solid in which the atoms bond with each other in a
regular pattern to form a periodic collection of atoms.
• Most important Property of crystal: Periodicity which generates Long
range order
• What is Long Range Order?
In a crystal, the local bonding geometry is repeated many times at regular
intervals, to produce a periodic array of atoms that constitutes the crystal
structure. The location of each atom is well known by virtue of periodicity. This
is known as long-range order since we can always predict the same atomic
arrangement anywhere in the crystal.
All Crystals can be described in terms of Lattice and Basis

Lattice: infinite periodic

array of geometric
points in space

Basis: Identical group of

atoms
All Crystals can be described in terms of Lattice and Basis

Unit Cells: Unit cell is

the most convenient
small cell in the crystal
structure that carries
the properties of the
crystal

The repetition of the

unit cell in three
dimensions creates the
crystal structure.
Different types of Unit Cells:
FCC: Face Centered Cube
FCC: Face Centered Cube
•  The FCC structure is known as close packed crystal structure because
the Cu atoms are packed as closely as possible.
• The volume of the FCC unit cell is 74 percent full of atoms, which is
the maximum possible with identical spheres.

APF (Atomic Packing Factor) : the ratio of the volume of atoms in unit
cell to the volume of the unit cell.
Example 1.13
Example 1.13
Example 1.13
BCC: Body Centered Cube
• BCC unit cell has atoms at all
corners and an atom at the
center of the cell
• The volume of the BCC unit cell
is 68 percent full of atoms,
which is lower than the
maximum packing
• Example: Iron
Try yourself:
HCP: Hexagonally Close Packed
• APF: 74 Percent
• Example: Zn atoms
Diamond Unit Cell
• Covalently bonded solids, such as Si and
Ge, have a diamond crystal structure.
• Can be described in terms of an FCC
lattice : Each lattice point having a basis of
two Si atoms. If we place the two Si atoms
at each site appropriately, for example, one
right at the lattice point, and the other
displaced from it by a quarter lattice
distance a /4 along the cube edges, we can
easily generate the diamond unit cell.
• Eight atoms effectively
Zinc Blende Unit Cell
• The zinc blende unit cell can also be
described in terms of a fundamental
FCC.
• Lattice and a basis that has two
atoms, Zn and S (or Ga and As).
• For example, we can place one Zn at
each lattice point and one S atom
• displaced from the Zn by a /4 along
the cube edges.
• Example: GaAs Crystal