The Norbert H and Jason M Kluga science, math and engineering blog. Dedicated to the science discussions I would have with my grandfather Norbert and great uncle John and to the artistic influence of my grandmother Lorraine. And most of all, to my late mother who grounded me and nurtured my passion for science, engineering and music.
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Electron and Hole Current in Semiconductors
The above illustration shows the arrangement of the silicon atoms in a unit cell, with the numbers indicating the height of the atom above the base of the cube as a fraction of the cell dimension. Silicon crystallizes in the same pattern as diamond, in a structure which Ashcroft and Mermin call "two interpenetrating face-centered cubic" primitive lattices. The lines between silicon atoms in the lattice illustration indicate nearest-neighbor bonds. The cube side for silicon is 0.543 nm. Germanium has the same diamond structure with a cell dimension of .566 nm.