Page 17 - Electrical Properties of Materials

xvi Introduction

a solid. You will hear about conductors, insulators, semiconductors, p–n junc-
tions, transistors, lasers, superconductors, and a number of related solid state
devices. Sometimes the statement will be purely qualitative but in most cases
we shall try to give the essential quantitative relationships.
These lectures will not make you an expert in quantum mechanics nor will
they enable you to design a computer the size of a matchbox. They will give
you no more than a general idea.
If you elect to specialize in solid state devices you will, no doubt, delve more
deeply into the intricacies of the theory and into the details of the technology.
If you should work in a related subject then, presumably, you will keep alive
your interest, and you may occasionally find it useful to be able to think in
quantum-mechanical terms. If your branch of engineering has nothing to do
with quantum mechanics, would you be able to claim in ten years’ time that you
profited from this course? I hope the answer to this question is yes. I believe that
once you have been exposed (however superficially) to quantum-mechanical
reasoning, it will leave permanent marks on you. It will influence your ideas
on the nature of physical laws, on the ultimate accuracy of measurements, and,
in general, will sharpen your critical faculties.