Covers the whole field of the electrical properties of materials, including device applications
Written in a style that appeals to undergraduates
Mathematical content is kept to a minimum
Includes problems and worked solutions to support student learning
New to this edition
Updated sections on semiconductor technology, semiconductor devices, nanoelectronics, plasma etching, ferroelectric materials, and spintronics.
Covers new applications in dielectrophoresis, Raman spectroscopy, thermoelectricity, and pyroelectricity.
Two new appendices on memory elements and medical imaging.
An informal and highly accessible writing style, a simple treatment of mathematics, and clear guide to applications have made this book a classic text in electrical and electronic engineering. Students will find it both readable and comprehensive. The fundamental ideas relevant to the understanding of the electrical properties of materials are emphasized; in addition, topics are selected in order to explain the operation of devices having applications (or possible future applications) in engineering. The mathematics, kept deliberately to a minimum, is well within the grasp of a second-year student. This is achieved by choosing the simplest model that can display the essential properties of a phenomenom, and then examining the difference between the ideal and the actual behaviour.
The whole text is designed as an undergraduate course. However most individual sections are self contained and can be used as background reading in graduate courses, and for interested persons who want to explore advances in microelectronics, lasers, nanotechnology, and several other topics that impinge on modern life.