Fundamentals of Semiconductors: Physics and Materials Properties (Advanced Texts in Physics)

Rating:
Summary: Best book on semiconductor PHYSICS
Review: I'm a Ph.D on physics, I read this book from page to page and worked out the problems.
This is an excellent book on the physics of semiconductors, NOT on semiconductor devices! The text is well written. The physical concept is clearly explained, mostly with a diagram or a graph. The formulae are carefully deducted without wasting too much time and space. I must add a few words on the problems. From all the physics textbooks I've read, only Claude Cohen-Tannoudji's Quantum Mechanics book is comparable. Those problems usually are about the the formulae, such as k.p. perturbation method and Luttinger Hamiltonian, etc., appeared in the main text but its detail is not appropriate there. The problems are by no means easy. Actually, some of them are really hard. For example, it took me a lot of time to work out the 6 by 6 k.p. perturbation matrix! In the process of working out those problems, I had a better understanding on the computational physics. You don't see that in a normal textbook!

The references are the classical or landstone papers about a specific subject, very good for further research.

In summary, this is an excellent textbook, if you want to study it hard.

Rating:
Summary: 3rd edition
Review: The third edition is already available. The second is OUT OF PRINT. ENTRY SHOULD BE UPDATED

Rating:
Summary: Excellent balance of breadth and depth
Review: This is an excellent book on all properties of semiconductors -electronic structure , phonons , transport and optics . It primarilyfocusses on bulk properties ,but extremely succinct and relevant comments on hetersotructures can also be found interspersed throughout .

Many books on semiconductor physics err on the side of breadth at the expense of depth . I found this book to be a pleasant exception . I believe this leaves other similar books like Physics of Semiconductors and their Heterostructures by J.Singh far behind .

Cardona (of course) is at his best when discussing otical properties , especially optical diagnostic methods . I have not seen a similar book at this level which gives the same level of description of light-matter interaction in semiconductors.

I recommend it highly to all fellow graduate students .