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Related Concept Videos

Structures of Solids02:22

Structures of Solids

Solids in which the atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite repeating pattern are known as crystalline solids. Metals and ionic compounds typically form ordered, crystalline solids. A crystalline solid has a precise melting temperature because each atom or molecule of the same type is held in place with the same forces or energy. Amorphous solids or non-crystalline solids (or, sometimes, glasses) which lack an ordered internal structure and are randomly arranged. Substances that...
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Types of Semiconductors01:20

Types of Semiconductors

Intrinsic semiconductors are highly pure materials with no impurities. At absolute zero, these semiconductors behave as perfect insulators because all the valence electrons are bound, and the conduction band is empty, disallowing electrical conduction. The Fermi level is a concept used to describe the probability of occupancy of energy levels by electrons at thermal equilibrium. In intrinsic semiconductors, the Fermi level is positioned at the midpoint of the energy gap at absolute zero. When...
Metallic Solids02:37

Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity01:21

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Lattice Centering and Coordination Number02:33

Lattice Centering and Coordination Number

The structure of a crystalline solid, whether a metal or not, is best described by considering its simplest repeating unit, which is referred to as its unit cell. The unit cell consists of lattice points that represent the locations of atoms or ions. The entire structure then consists of this unit cell repeating in three dimensions. The three different types of unit cells present in the cubic lattice are illustrated in Figure 1.
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Theoretical Calculation and Experimental Verification for Dislocation Reduction in Germanium Epitaxial Layers with Semicylindrical Voids on Silicon
06:57

Theoretical Calculation and Experimental Verification for Dislocation Reduction in Germanium Epitaxial Layers with Semicylindrical Voids on Silicon

Published on: July 17, 2020

The local structure of amorphous silicon.

M M J Treacy1, K B Borisenko

  • 1Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. treacy@asu.edu

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 25, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The continuous random network model for amorphous silicon is challenged. New paracrystalline models also match experimental data, suggesting alternative structural topologies for amorphous materials.

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Fabrication and Optimization of Type II Silicon Clathrate Films

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Theoretical Calculation and Experimental Verification for Dislocation Reduction in Germanium Epitaxial Layers with Semicylindrical Voids on Silicon
06:57

Theoretical Calculation and Experimental Verification for Dislocation Reduction in Germanium Epitaxial Layers with Semicylindrical Voids on Silicon

Published on: July 17, 2020

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Fabrication and Optimization of Type II Silicon Clathrate Films
06:53

Fabrication and Optimization of Type II Silicon Clathrate Films

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Solid-State Chemistry

Background:

  • The continuous random network (CRN) model is widely accepted for amorphous silicon's structure.
  • Experimental reduced density functions (RDFs) from diffraction studies support the CRN model.
  • Fluctuation electron microscopy (FEM) provides additional structural variance data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the uniqueness of the CRN model in representing amorphous silicon structure.
  • To explore alternative structural models consistent with experimental data.
  • To assess the implications of new structural models for materials science.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a structural relaxation procedure with experimental constraints.
  • Combining electron diffraction data for RDF analysis.
  • Incorporating fluctuation electron microscopy (FEM) variance data.

Main Results:

  • The CRN model is not the sole structure matching experimental RDF data.
  • Inhomogeneous paracrystalline structures with local cubic ordering (10-20 angstroms) are consistent with RDFs.
  • These paracrystalline models also match FEM variance data, unlike the CRN model.

Conclusions:

  • The structural topology of amorphous silicon is not uniquely represented by the CRN model.
  • Paracrystalline models offer a viable alternative consistent with diffraction and FEM data.
  • Findings have broader implications for understanding phase transformations in various materials.