Nearly free electron model
In solid-state physics, the nearly free electron model (or NFE model) or quasi-free electron model is a quantum mechanical model of physical properties of electrons that can move almost freely through
Van Hove singularity
A Van Hove singularity is a singularity (non-smooth point) in the density of states (DOS) of a crystalline solid. The wavevectors at which Van Hove singularities occur are often referred to as critica
Dirac cone
Dirac cones, named after Paul Dirac, are features that occur in some electronic band structures that describe unusual electron transport properties of materials like graphene and topological insulator
Band gap
In solid-state physics, a band gap, also called an energy gap, is an energy range in a solid where no electronic states can exist. In graphs of the electronic band structure of solids, the band gap ge
Metal-induced gap states
In bulk semiconductor band structure calculations, it is assumed that the crystal lattice (which features a periodic potential due to the atomic structure) of the material is infinite. When the finite
Rigid-band model
The Rigid-Band Model (or RBM) is one of the models used to describe the behavior of metal alloys. In some cases the model is even used for non-metal alloys such as Si alloys. According to the RBM the
Anderson's rule
Anderson's rule is used for the construction of energy band diagrams of the heterojunction between two semiconductor materials. Anderson's rule states that when constructing an energy band diagram, th
Tight binding
In solid-state physics, the tight-binding model (or TB model) is an approach to the calculation of electronic band structure using an approximate set of wave functions based upon superposition of wave
Band bending
In solid-state physics, band bending refers to the process in which the electronic band structure in a material curves up or down near a junction or interface. It does not involve any physical (spatia
Crystal momentum
In solid-state physics crystal momentum or quasimomentum is a momentum-like vector associated with electrons in a crystal lattice. It is defined by the associated wave vectors of this lattice, accordi
DFTB
The Density Functional Based Tight Binding method is an approximation to density functional theory, which reduces the Kohn-Sham equations to a form of tight binding related to the Harris functional. T
Brillouin zone
In mathematics and solid state physics, the first Brillouin zone is a uniquely defined primitive cell in reciprocal space. In the same way the Bravais lattice is divided up into Wigner–Seitz cells in
Coulomb gap
First introduced by M. Pollak, the Coulomb gap is a soft gap in the single-particle density of states (DOS) of a system of interacting localized electrons.Due to the long-range Coulomb interactions, t
Direct and indirect band gaps
In semiconductor physics, the band gap of a semiconductor can be of two basic types, a direct band gap or an indirect band gap. The minimal-energy state in the conduction band and the maximal-energy s
Moss–Burstein effect
The Moss-Burstein effect, also known as the Burstein–Moss shift, is the phenomenon in which the apparent band gap of a semiconductor is increased as the absorption edge is pushed to higher energies as
Charge-transfer insulators
Charge-transfer insulators are a class of materials predicted to be conductors following conventional band theory, but which are in fact insulators due to a charge-transfer process. Unlike in Mott ins
Field effect (semiconductor)
In physics, the field effect refers to the modulation of the electrical conductivity of a material by the application of an external electric field. In a metal, the electron density that responds to a
Fermi liquid theory
Fermi liquid theory (also known as Landau's Fermi-liquid theory) is a theoretical model of interacting fermions that describes the normal state of most metals at sufficiently low temperatures. The int
Flat band potential
In semiconductor physics, the flat band potential of a semiconductor defines the potential at which there is no depletion layer at the junction between a semiconductor and an electrolyte or p-n-juncti
Muffin-tin approximation
The muffin-tin approximation is a shape approximation of the potential well in a crystal lattice. It is most commonly employed in quantum mechanical simulations of the electronic band structure in sol
Empty lattice approximation
The empty lattice approximation is a theoretical electronic band structure model in which the potential is periodic and weak (close to constant). One may also consider an empty irregular lattice, in w
Free electron model
In solid-state physics, the free electron model is a quantum mechanical model for the behaviour of charge carriers in a metallic solid. It was developed in 1927, principally by Arnold Sommerfeld, who
Urbach energy
The Urbach Energy, or Urbach Edge, is a parameter typically denoted , with dimensions of energy, used to quantify energetic disorder in the band edges of a semiconductor. It is evaluated by fitting th
Band offset
Band offset describes the relative alignment of the energy bands at a semiconductor heterojunction.
Electronic band structure
In solid-state physics, the electronic band structure (or simply band structure) of a solid describes the range of energy levels that electrons may have within it, as well as the ranges of energy that
Quasi Fermi level
A quasi Fermi level (also called imref, which is "fermi" spelled backwards) is a term used in quantum mechanics and especially in solid state physics for the Fermi level (chemical potential of electro
Surface states
Surface states are electronic states found at the surface of materials. They are formed due to the sharp transition from solid material that ends with a surface and are found only at the atom layers c
Energy gap
In solid-state physics, an energy gap is an energy range in a solid where no electron states exist, i.e. an energy range where the density of states vanishes. Especially in condensed-matter physics, a
Valence and conduction bands
In solid-state physics, the valence band and conduction band are the bands closest to the Fermi level, and thus determine the electrical conductivity of the solid. In nonmetals, the valence band is th
Density of states
In solid state physics and condensed matter physics, the density of states (DOS) of a system describes the number of modes per unit frequency range. The density of states is defined as , where is the
Peierls substitution
The Peierls substitution method, named after the original work by Rudolf Peierls is a widely employed approximation for describing tightly-bound electrons in the presence of a slowly varying magnetic
Slater–Pauling rule
In condensed matter physics, the Slater–Pauling rule states that adding a element to a metal alloy will be reduce the alloy's saturation magnetization by an amount proportional to the number of valenc
Band diagram
In solid-state physics of semiconductors, a band diagram is a diagram plotting various key electron energy levels (Fermi level and nearby energy band edges) as a function of some spatial dimension, wh
Fermi level
The Fermi level of a solid-state body is the thermodynamic work required to add one electron to the body. It is a thermodynamic quantity usually denoted by µ or EFfor brevity. The Fermi level does not