Unit 1 - Crystal physics

Objectives

 Importance of Crystals in the current world

To describe the arrangements in crystalline solids based on lattice,

basis, and crystal structure

Different crystal systems

 Infromation Revolution

Electronic Numerical Today

Integrator and
Computer(ENIAC) Semiconductor crystals made the possible information
First Computer Revolution today and lead to development of modern
electronic systems and devices
Crystals : germanium, silicon, gallium arsenide and many
others
 Infromation Revolution

Crystals made possible the information in hand ....

Digital revolution
Information (world)
at Hand
 Infromation Revolution
An example for infromation revolution ....

1990
•Cell phone subscribers: 12.5 million (0.25% of world population in 1990
•internet users: 2.8 million (0.05% of world population in 1990)
2000
Cell phone subscribers: 1.5 billion (19% of world population in 2002)
Internet users: 631 million (11% of world population in 2002)
2010
Cell phone subscribers: 4 billion (68% of world population in 2010)
Internet users: 1.8 billion (26.6% of world population in 2010)
2020
Cell phone subscribers: 4.78 billion (62% of world population in 2020)
Internet users: 4.54 billion (59% of world population in 2020)
What is the point of studying crystal physics ?
Silicon crystal ingots and
A multipurpose Si
200 mm Si wafers
Photonics Process Core
 Crystals in Optics

 Many Crystals are

used in optical
Ruby crystal conversions, Nd- YAG crystals
Lasers, Displays,
optical
communications ....

Name a two crystals used in Lasers ...

Ruby laser
Nd- YAG Lasers
 Crystals in Different
Fields
Industrial Automotive
Research & Metrology
communications Engine control,
Atomic clocks
Telecommunications Sterio , clock,
Instruments
Mobile, Radio GPS
Space tracking
Aviation , Marine
Celestial navigation
Instrumentation
Computers, Disk drives

Military & Aerospace

communications
Quatrz crystal is one of
Navigtion
the crystal used in the
Radar all mentioned applications
Sensors
Electronic warfare
 Crystals found are Everywhere !
Some common crystals found in the human body ....

Calcium phosphate Uric acid crystals- found in joints

Calcium oxalate crystals

Calcium carbonate crystals
What is the point of studying solid state physics ?

 Understanding the electrical properties of solids is right

at the heart of modern society and technology.

 The entire computer and electronics industry relies on

tuning of a special class of material, the semiconductor,
which lies right at the metal-insulator boundary.

 Solid state physics provide a background to understand

what goes on in metals, semiconductors and insulators
What is the point of studying solid state physics ?

 Solid state physics(SSP) is the applied physics • New

technology for the future will inevitably involve
developing and understanding new classes of
materials.
What does a crystal consist of at the microscopic
level?

(or)

How do atoms assemble into solid structures?

 STRUCTURE OF ATOM
-
-
+ Proton

- +++ - Electron
+ + Neutron

-
-
- fo rce - -
- At t r ac ti ve
- -
+++ - - +++ - - +++ -
- + + Repulsive force + + + +
fo rce
e
- ra cti v - -
- Att - -
Atom 1 Atom 2 Atom 3
FORCE VS DISTANCE FOR MANY ATOMS

Kasap – Principles of electronic materials

 Matter

Liquid Solid Gas

On the basis of arrangement of atoms

Solid

Crystalline solids Amorphous solids

Single crystalline Polycrystalline

 CRYSTALLINE SOLIDS
• The atoms or molecules are arranged in a definite, repeating pattern in three
dimension i.e., throughout the entire volume of the material
• The atoms possess perfect long range order
• Sharp melting point
• They are anisotropic

An example of long range periodic order

Single Crystal

What will be microscopic

picture ?
 Single Crystal

Periodical across the entire volume

 Single Crystal

Single Crystals, ideally have

a high degree of order, or
regular geometric periodicity,
throughout the entire volume
of the material

Si (110)
 Polycrystalline Solids
 The grains are usually 100 nm - 100 microns in
diameter
 Polycrystals with grains that are < 100 nm in
diameter are called nanocrystallites
 AMORPHOUS SOLIDS

• The atoms or molecules are not arranged in a regular pattern in three

dimension i.e., throughout the entire volume of the material
• The atoms possess perfect short range order
• No sharp melting point.
• They are isotropic.
• They don’t show all characteristics of solids.
 Crystals
• The periodic array of atoms, ions, or molecules that form the solid is called
Crystal Structure

Crystal Structure = Lattice + Basis ( Motif)

• Space Lattice is a regular periodic arrangement of points in
space

• Basis is an atoms (group of atoms) placed in the points of the

space lattice
A Two-Dimensional (Bravais) Lattice
with Different Choices for the Basis

Lattice Basis Crystal

+ =
A Two-Dimensional (Bravais) Lattice
with Different Choices for the Basis

Lattice Basis Crystal

+ =
A Two-Dimensional (Bravais) Lattice
with Different Choices for the Basis

Lattice Basis Crystal

+ =
Unit Cell: A unit cell is the smallest portion of a crystal lattice,
which can generate the entire crystal by repetition through lattice
translations
Unit Cell: A region of space which can generate the entire cystal by
repetition through lattice translations
Unit Cell: A region of space which can generate the entire cystal by
repetition through lattice translations
Unit Cell (3D)
The unit cell is the smallest structural unit or building block that can
describe the crystal structure.

 Repetition of the unit cell generates the

entire crystal

FCC Unit Cell

Primitive Cell

A primitive cell of a particular crystal structure is the

smallest possible unit cell one can construct

 One lattice point ( one atom)

Primitive Cell: Lattice points only at the corner of the cell

Non-Primitive Cell:
Lattice points at its
corner and extra
lattice points
 Parameters of a unit cell

• A unit cell is characterized by six parameters. These parameters are three

edges (a, b and c) and angles between them (α, β and γ).

• Dimensions along the edges of a unit cell is represented by a, b and c.

• Edges of unit cell may or may not be mutually perpendicular.

• The angle between b and c is represented by α, between a and c by β and

between a and b by γ.
Seven crystal system and fourteen Bravais lattices
Seven crystal system and fourteen Bravais lattices
 Seven crystal system and fourteen Bravais lattices

What different you noticed in the seven cystal system ?

Primitive Cell
Unit Cell
 Seven crystal system and fourteen Bravais lattices

Why there is only 14 Bravais lattices ?

Symmetry restricts only 14 different lattices in three dimensions

Symmetry operations : Translations, Rotation, Reflection, Inversion

Is this Scanning electron microscopic figure polycrstalline or
single crystalline ?

• Single Crystalline

• Polycrystalline

Zinc Oxide Semiconductor Thin film

Is this Scanning electron microscopic figure polycrstalline or
single crystalline ?

• Polycrystalline

Zinc Oxide Semiconductor Thin film