course-details-portlet

FY3114

Functional Materials

Choose study year
Credits 7.5
Level Second degree level
Course start Autumn 2025
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction English and norwegian
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement Aggregate score

About

About the course

Course content

Functional materials form the foundation of our high-tech society and future technologies. Their properties can be manipulated by external stimuli such as temperature, electric fields, and magnetic fields. This applied solid-state physics course systematically addresses the control of properties in key functional material classes. The insights gained are applied to understand a range of applications and devices.

Specific course topics:

  • Relation between properties, structure and crystal symmetry
  • Electronic bands structures and charge transport
  • Size and interface effects on electronic structure
  • Semiconductor based devices
  • Optical active materials
  • Ferroic functional materials

Learning outcome

Knowledge.

The candidate should gain knowledge of:

  • A broader range of important functional materials.
  • Anisotropic material properties and their relation to crystal symmetry.
  • Tensor description of materials properties
  • Band structure control related to electronic and optical applications.
  • Classification and applications of ferroic functional materials

Skills.

The candidate should be able to:

  • Calculate material properties using tensor description. This includes properties described by first, second, third and fourth rank tensors.
  • Describe electronic properties of materials by using band structure analysis.
  • Explain design of common devices such as for example transistors, lasers and energy converters.
  • Evaluate of suggested novel functional materials and their proposed applications.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, exercises and a student’s project work/assignment.

The content of this course is identical to FY8912.

Further on evaluation

The final grade is based on the project assignment (20%) and a written final exam (80%).

The re-sit examination (in August) may be changed from written to oral.

Course materials

To be announced at the beginning of the course

Credit reductions

Course code Reduction From
FY8912 7.5 sp Autumn 2017
This course has academic overlap with the course in the table above. If you take overlapping courses, you will receive a credit reduction in the course where you have the lowest grade. If the grades are the same, the reduction will be applied to the course completed most recently.

Subject areas

  • Materials Science and Solid State Physics
  • Solid State Physics
  • Solid State Physics
  • Physics

Contact information

Course coordinator

Lecturers

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Physics

Examination

Examination

Examination arrangement: Aggregate score
Grade: Letter grades

Ordinary examination - Autumn 2025

School exam
Weighting 80/100 Examination aids Code D Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room
The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.
Assignment
Weighting 20/100 Exam system Inspera Assessment

Re-sit examination - Summer 2026

School exam
Weighting 80/100 Examination aids Code D Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room
The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.
Assignment
Weighting 20/100 Exam system Inspera Assessment