This fourth edition of the well-established Fundamentals of Semiconductors serves to fill the gap between a general solid-state physics textbook and research articles by providing detailed explanations of the electronic, vibrational, transport, and optical properties of semiconductors. The approach is physical and intuitive rather than formal and pedantic. Theories are presented to explain experimental results. This textbook has been written with both students and researchers in mind. Its emphasis is on understanding the physical properties of Si and similar tetrahedrally coordinated semiconductors. The explanations are based on physical insights. Each chapter is enriched by an extensive collection of tables of material parameters, figures, and problems. Many of these problems "lead the student by the hand" to arrive at the results.

The major changes made in the fourth edition include: an extensive appendix about the important and by now well-established deep center known as the DX center, additional problems and the solutions to over fifty of the problems at the end of the various chapters.

Some of the solutions contain extensionst via discussions about topics of current interest in the field of semiconductor physics, such as spin-orbit coupling and k-linear band dispersion.

Many books on semiconductor physics err on the side of breadth at the expense of depth . I found this book to be a pleasant exception . I believe this leaves other similar books like Physics of Semiconductors and their Heterostructures by J.Singh far behind .

Cardona (of course) is at his best when discussing otical properties , especially optical diagnostic methods . I have not seen a similar book at this level which gives the same level of description of light-matter interaction in semiconductors.

I recommend it highly to all fellow graduate students .


Best book on semiconductor PHYSICS   May 21, 2004
Hui Fang (NASHVILLE, TN United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I'm a Ph.D on physics, I read this book from page to page and worked out the problems.
This is an excellent book on the physics of semiconductors, NOT on semiconductor devices! The text is well written. The physical concept is clearly explained, mostly with a diagram or a graph. The formulae are carefully deducted without wasting too much time and space. I must add a few words on the problems. From all the physics textbooks I've read, only Claude Cohen-Tannoudji's Quantum Mechanics book is comparable. Those problems usually are about the the formulae, such as k.p. perturbation method and Luttinger Hamiltonian, etc., appeared in the main text but its detail is not appropriate there. The problems are by no means easy. Actually, some of them are really hard. For example, it took me a lot of time to work out the 6 by 6 k.p. perturbation matrix! In the process of working out those problems, I had a better understanding on the computational physics. You don't see that in a normal textbook!

The references are the classical or landstone papers about a specific subject, very good for further research.

In summary, this is an excellent textbook, if you want to study it hard.


The best book in the market   August 17, 2006
Vahit Sametoglu (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

This book is an excellent reference book on semiconductors in general. The physics behind semiconductor theory is discussed very well, however, if you are looking for a book regarding semiconductor devices or electronics, this is not what you are looking for.

One advantage of this book is that it contains a fairly large section for "group theory", if you are using it in your studies.

Electronic, transport and especially optical properties of semiconductors are mentioned very extensively and clearly. There is also a whole chapter on photoemission, which is very useful. The concept of quantum confinement is addressed independently with illustrative examples.

If you are interested in semiconductors and want to buy "one" book which you can use and consult all the time, this is the book you need. The authors are some of the best in the World on semiconductors.


The fourth edition   July 16, 2010
Prof Manuel Cardona (Germany)
The third edition is out of print. The fourth edition, with 775 pages, has just appeared. The book has been updated, many references to recent developments, additional problems and their solutions have been added. The price has remained almost the same! The book should serve as a textbook for a course on semiconductor physics. The authors hope it will be as well received as the previous editions and reprints.
The authors


3rd edition   June 26, 2001
Prof. Manuel Cardona (Stuttgart Deutschland)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful

The third edition is already available. The second is OUT OF PRINT. ENTRY SHOULD BE UPDATED