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The Theory of Electron Transport in Crystalline Semiconductors

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Crystalline Semiconducting Materials and Devices

Part of the book series: Physics of Solids and Liquids ((PSLI))

Abstract

We are concerned in this chapter with the transport of electric charge and heat by electrons in crystalline semiconductors. When the crystal is in uniform thermal equilibrium the distribution of electrons over the eigenstates available to them in each region of the crystal is controlled by the Fermi-Dirac distribution function and the electric and heat current densities both vanish everywhere. Nonvanishing macroscopic current densities arise whenever the equilibrium is made nonuniform by varying either the electrochemical potential or the temperature from point to point in the crystal. The electron distribution in each region is then perturbed because electrons move from filled states to adjacent empty states.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, England

    P. N. Butcher

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  1. P. N. Butcher
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Warwick, Coventry, England

    Paul N. Butcher

  2. University of Oxford, Oxford, England

    Norman H. March

  3. International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy

    Mario P. Tosi

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© 1986 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Butcher, P.N. (1986). The Theory of Electron Transport in Crystalline Semiconductors. In: Butcher, P.N., March, N.H., Tosi, M.P. (eds) Crystalline Semiconducting Materials and Devices. Physics of Solids and Liquids. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9900-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9900-2_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9902-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9900-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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