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Module

PHY3023 : Advanced Materials and Solid-State Physics

  • Offered for Year: 2023/24
  • Module Leader(s): Dr Tiago Marinheiro
  • Lecturer: Dr Elisabetta Arca
  • Owning School: Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 10
ECTS Credits: 5.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

To further develop the understanding of material concepts and to understand advanced concepts such as band theory and charge transport in metals and semiconductor devices.

Outline Of Syllabus

1.       Crystalline Materials

•       Crystal lattice

•       Reciprocal lattice

•       Brillouin zone


2.       Free Electrons

•       Drude model

•       Sommerfeld model

•       Fermi Surface


3.       Nearly free electrons

•       Bloch waves

•       Central Equation

•       Band gap


4.       Semiconductors

•       Effective mass

•       Charge carriers and dopants

•       Simple devices

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture171:0017:00Formal Lectures
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion361:0036:00Completion of in course assignments/ examination revision
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching42:008:00Student-led completion of worksheets that are connected to module content
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study391:0039:00Preparation time for lectures, background reading, coursework review
Total100:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The teaching methods are appropriate to allow students to develop a wide range of skills, from understanding basic concepts and facts to higher order thinking.

Lectures are used for the delivery of theory and explanation of methods, illustrated with examples. Tutorials are used to support he lectures by providing exposure to worked problems driven by student participation.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Exams
Description Length Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Written Examination1201A80N/A
Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Written exercise1M20Bookwork problem set/ following MSP assessment framework
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

A substantial unseen examination is appropriate for the assessment of the material in this module. The format of the examination will enable students to reliably demonstrate their own knowledge, understanding and application of learning outcomes. The assurance of academic integrity forms a necessary part of the programme accreditation.

Examination problems may require a synthesis of concepts and strategies from different sections, while they may have more than one ways for solution. The examination time allows the students to test different strategies, work out examples and gather evidence for deciding on an effective strategy, while carefully articulating their ideas and explicitly citing the theory they are using.

Written exercises 1 provide the opportunity for the student to demonstrate their understanding of the lecture course. Closely aligned to tutorial content to ensure consistent engagement throughout the semester. Assessment delivery follows the MSP In-Course, Programme, and Stage Assessment Structure

Exam explores all module teaching outcomes.

Reading Lists

Timetable