ECE 434
Electrical and Optical Properties of Materials
Course Level
Units
Instructor(s)
Prerequisite(s)
Course Texts
Simmons and Potter, Optical Materials, Academic Press, 2000 (e-text).
Schedule
Course Description
Specific Course Information:
2021-2022 Catalog Data: Properties of conductors, insulators, and semiconducting materials as related to crystal structure, interatomic bonding and defect structures. The course is designed to cover the electrical and optical properties of materials including all three materials classifications (conductors, insulators, semiconductors). The course content has covered all of these subject areas for at least 13 years and it recently came to our attention that the course catalog entry was truncated and incorrectly suggests that only one of these discussion areas is covered in the course.
Learning Outcomes
Specific Goals for the Course:
Outcomes of Instruction: By the end of this course the student will be able to:
- Classify optical properties and electrical properties of materials according to material type, structure and physical properties.
Course Topics
Brief list of topics to be covered:
Chapter 1: Introduction to Waves and Wave Propagation Waves
- Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Wave Propagation
- Dispersion and Material Polarizability
- Kramers-Kronig relations
- Phonons
- Measurement Techniques
Chapter 2: Conductors
- Drude Model
- Band Structure
- Coloration
- Measurement Techniques
- Select Special Topics Lectures
Chapter 3: Insulators
- Harmonic Oscillator
- Refractive Index and Dispersion
- Reflection and Transmission
- Attenuation
- Scattering
- Measurement Techniques
Chapter 4: Select Special Topics - Insulators
Chapter 5: Semiconductors
- Free-electron Models
- Band Structure
- Impurities
- Optical Response
- Measurement Techniques
Special Topic selected by students (Lasers, PV, NLO,…)
Relationship to Student Outcomes
ECE 434 contributes directly to the following specific electrical and computer engineering student outcomes of the ECE department:
1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives