Physics of Structurally Disordered Solids

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

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2. Formation and Transformation Behavior of Amorphous Solids

   • David Turnbull

   Pages 1-5

3. On the Structure Analysis of Amorphous Materials

   • J. F. Graczyk

   Pages 7-30

4. On the Structure of Amorphous Films

   • P. Chaudhari, J. F. Graczyk, S. R. Herd

   Pages 31-43

5. Structural Modelling of Disordered Semiconductors

   • William Paul, G. A. N. Connell

   Pages 45-91

6. Some Theorems Relating to the Structure of Amorphous Solids

   • D. Weaire

   Pages 93-100

7. Polymorphs

   • D. Weaire

   Pages 101-109

8. Optical Properties of Tetrahedrally Bonded Amorphous Semiconductors: Absorption Spectra and Absorption Edge

   • M. L. Theye

   Pages 111-169

9. Photoluminescence

   • William Paul

   Pages 171-197

10. Introduction to Photoemission

    • D. Weaire

    Pages 199-209

11. Photoemission of Disordered Elemental Semiconductors

    • L. D. Laude

    Pages 211-290

12. Mathematical Methods for Calculating the Electron Spectrum

    • B. Kramer

    Pages 291-349

13. Some Theorems Relating to Densities of States

    • D. Weaire

    Pages 351-367

14. Theory of Optical Absorption of Disordered Solids

    • B. Kramer

    Pages 369-384

15. Comments on the Theory of Localized States in Semi-Conducting Noncrystalline Solids

    • David Emin

    Pages 385-410

16. Transport Properties of Amorphous Semiconductors

    • W. Fuhs

    Pages 411-460

17. Electrical Transport in Semiconducting Noncrystalline Solids

    • David Emin

    Pages 461-506

18. Inelastic Coherent Neutron Scattering in Amorphous Solids

    • J. D. Axe

    Pages 507-524

19. Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy of Amorphous Semiconductors

    • J. Tauc

    Pages 525-540

20. Dynamics of Structurally Disordered Solids

    • J. F. Vetelino, S. S. Mitra

    Pages 541-622

Structurally disordered solids are characterized by their lack of spatial order that is evidenced by the great variety of ordered solids. The former class of materials is commonly termed amorphous or glassy, the latter crystalline. However, both classes share, many of the other physical properties of solids, e. g. , me­ chanical stability, resistance to shear stress, etc. The traditional macroscopic distinction between the crystalline and the glassy states is that while the former has a fixed melting point, the latter does not. However, with the availability and production of a large number of materials in both crystalline and amorphous states, and their easy inter-convertability, simple de­ finitions are not possible or at best imprecise. For the present purpose, it is sufficient to say that in contrast to the crystalline state, in which the posi­ tions of atoms are fixed into adefinite structure, ex­ cept for small thermal vibrations, the amorphous state of the same material displays varying degrees of de­ parture from this fixed structure. The amorphous state almost always shows no long range order. Short range order, up to several neighbors, may often be retained, although averaged considerably around their crystalline values. It is generally believed that the amorphous state is a metastable one with respect to the crystal­ line ordered state, and the conversion to the crystal­ line state may or may not be easy depending on the na­ ture of the material, e. g.

• Vibration
• atoms
• crystal
• electron
• mathematical method
• metastable
• neutron diffraction
• physics
• resistance
• scattering
• semiconductor
• spectroscopy
• stability
• structure

• University of Rhode Island, Kingston, USA

  Shashanka S. Mitra

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