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Problem Solution - Chapter 3 - 2022

The document provides solutions to 4 problems involving conduction electrons in metals: 1) Calculates the speed of conduction electrons in copper with a Fermi energy of 7.0 eV. 2) Calculates properties of energy bands including density of states and number of states within small energy ranges. 3) Calculates the Fermi energy of sodium at 0K and 300K, and the speed of Fermi electrons, comparing it to thermal velocity. 4) Determines properties of silver using given Fermi energy and conductivity, including density of states, Fermi electron velocity, mean free path, scattering time, and drift mobility.

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pham minh
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134 views4 pages

Problem Solution - Chapter 3 - 2022

The document provides solutions to 4 problems involving conduction electrons in metals: 1) Calculates the speed of conduction electrons in copper with a Fermi energy of 7.0 eV. 2) Calculates properties of energy bands including density of states and number of states within small energy ranges. 3) Calculates the Fermi energy of sodium at 0K and 300K, and the speed of Fermi electrons, comparing it to thermal velocity. 4) Determines properties of silver using given Fermi energy and conductivity, including density of states, Fermi electron velocity, mean free path, scattering time, and drift mobility.

Uploaded by

pham minh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 3: Problems Solution

1. In copper, the Fermi energy of conduction electrons is 7.0 eV. What is


the speed of the conduction electrons around this energy?

SOLUTION

Since the conduction electrons are not bound to any one atom, their PE
must be zero within

the solid (but large outside), so all their energy is kinetic. For conduction
electrons around

the Fermi energy EFO with a speed vF, we have:

2. Given that the width of an energy band is typically ∼10 eV, calculate the
following in per cm3
and per eV units:
a. The density of states at the center of the band.
b. The number of states per unit volume within a small energy range kT
about the center.
c. The density of states at kT above the bottom of the band.
d. The number of states per unit volume within a small energy range of kT
to 2kT from the
bottom of the band.
SOLUTION

a. The density of states, or the number of states per unit energy range per
unit volume g(E), is

given by

which gives the number of states per cubic meter per Joule of energy.
Substituting E = 5 eV,

we have

Converting to cm−3 and eV−1 , we get

b. The number of states per unit volume within kT at the center of the band:

gcenter kT = (1.52 × 1022 cm−3 eV−1)(0.026 eV) =3.9 × 1020 cm−3. This is not
a small number!

c. At kT above the bottom of the band, at 300 K (kT = 0.026 eV), we have
d. Within kT, the volume density of states is

This is very close to the bottom of the band and is still very large.

3. The density d of Na is 0.97 g cm−3 and the atomic mass (atomic weight)
Mat is 22.99 g mol−1.
Calculate the Fermi energy at 0 K and at 300 K (room temperature) for
sodium. What is the speed vF of Fermi electrons? How does this compare
with the thermal velocity?

SOLUTION
Sodium (Na) is a metal in which each Na atom donates one electron to the
sea of conduction
electrons inside the crystal. If NA is Avogadro’s number, the concentration
of electrons n is

-EF at 300 K,
  2  kT 2 
EF (T )  EF 0 1    
=  12  EF 0   ?
- vF

vF = 1.05 ×106 ms-1

4. Consider silver whose Fermi energy EF is 5.5 eV and the conductivity σ


of Ag at room temperature is 62.5 × 106 Ω−1 m−1. Determine:
- The density of states g(EF)
- The velocity of Fermi electrons
- The mean free path
- The scattering time
- The drift mobility of Fermi electrons
( h = 6.626 × 10−34 J s; me = 9.109 × 10−31 kg)

SOLUTION:

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