Electronic States in Crystals under Large Over-All Perturbations
- 1 October 1952
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review B
- Vol. 88 (1), 92-100
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrev.88.92
Abstract
Solutions of the three-dimensional Schrödinger equation are discussed for a potential which is the sum of a potential with the periodicity of the crystal lattice plus a perturbing potential. A general theory of large over-all perturbations, such that the energy lies close to one permitted band in one region of the crystal and close to a second permitted band in another, is developed. The theory is then applied to a one-dimensional crystal in a uniform electric field, using the narrow band approximation; the probability for an electron to cross a forbidden energy band is calculated. These results are considered in connection with the interpretation of the current-voltage characteristic of an junction of germanium at high electric fields.
Keywords
This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit:
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