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Topics in the theory of amorphous materials

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Abstract

In this Colloquium, I describe some current frontiers in the physics of semiconducting amorphous materials and glasses, including a short, but self-contained discussion of techniques for creating computer models, among them the quench from the melt method, the Activation-Relaxation Technique, the decorate and relax method, and the experimentally constrained molecular relaxation scheme. A representative study of an interesting and important glass (amorphous GeSe3:Ag) is provided. This material is a fast-ion conductor and a serious candidate to replace current FLASH memory. Next, I discuss the effects of topological disorder on electronic states. By computing the decay of the density matrix in real space, and also computing well-localized Wannier functions, we close with a quantitative discussion of Kohn’s Principle of Nearsightedness in amorphous silicon.

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  1. Trinity College, Cambridge, CB2 1TQ, UK

    D. A. Drabold

  2. Clare Hall, Herschel Road, Cambridge, CB3 9AL, UK

    D. A. Drabold

  3. Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 45701, USA

    D. A. Drabold

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Drabold, D. Topics in the theory of amorphous materials. Eur. Phys. J. B 68, 1–21 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2009-00080-0

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