Dielectric properties

of insulators and
metals
 Orientation Polarizability

Ion jumps.

doubly ionized
Water

Schematic dielectric function

of water from Wikipedia

Source: Classical Electrodynamics,

J.D. Jackson
 Ionic Polarizability

Displacement of ions of opposite sign. Only in ionic substances.

This is an underdamped mode in the infrared.

Electronic polarizability (all materials)

dipole moments
  
P  Np  N  E
density polarizability
Polarizability

Kittel
 Inter- and intraband transitions

When the bands are parallel, there is a peak in the absorption (")
 
  Ec ( k )  Ev ( k )

Optical spectroscopy has developed into the most important experimental tool
for band structure determination. - Kittel
Ashcroft and Mermin
Dielectric function of BaTiO3
Dielectric function of silicon  ( )  n ( )  iK ( )

refractive index n
absorption 

4 fK

c

extinction K
 AC Conductivity

For constant voltage, conductors conduct and insulators don't.

For low ac voltages in a conductor, electric field and the electron velocity are in-
phase, electric field and electron position are out-of-phase.

For low ac voltages in an insulator, electric field and the electron position are in-
phase, electric field and electron velocity are out-of-phase.

At high (optical) frequencies the in-phase and out-of-phase component of the

response is described by the dielectric function.
 Conductivity / Dielectric function

P    nex   j    nev    i nex  

          
 0 E    0 E   E   E   E  

Harmonic dependence v  v   e i t , x  x   e i t , E  E   e i t

v    i x  

  
   
i 0

  
    1    1 
i 0

Below about 100 GHz the frequency dependent conductivity is normally used.
Above about 100 GHz the dielectric function is used (optical experiments).
Diffusive transport (low frequencies)

  
 v
F  ma   eE  m d
 sc m
 sc 
e sc   e
 E  vd
m
ne 2
    ne  
  e E  vd m
 Diffusive metal

The current is related to the electric field

jn   nm E m vn    nm E m Steady state solution

The differential equation that describes how the velocity changes in time is:

dv (t ) ev (t )
m    eE (t )
dt 
Inertial term

The impulse response function :

1   et 
g (t )  exp   t0
m   m 
 Diffusive metal

The differential equation is:

dv (t ) ev (t )
m    eE (t )
dt 

Assume a harmonic solution E()eit, v()eit

 i m 1 
   v ( )  E ( )
 e 
v    i m 1    1  i 
1

   1  i 
1
    
E    e  1   2 2

j   v    1  i  m
      ne  ne     Scattering time
2 2 
E   E   1    e

  low    ne   ine 2
  high   
m
 Diffusive metal

   ne   1  i 
      
i 0 i 0  1   2 2 

ne     i 
    1    1 
 0  1   2 2 

  2  i  ne 2
    1   
2
3 2   
2
p
      p
m 0

Take the limit as  goes to infinity

 p2 0 for 0
     1  2     
  for   0
low frequency metal / high frequency insulator
Ibach & Lueth

ITO
Aluminum

Conducting transparent contacts for LEDs and Solar cells ne 2

 
2

Windows that reflect infrared

p
 0m

Reflection of radio waves from ionosphere

http://lamp.tu-graz.ac.at/~hadley/ss2/linearresponse/dmetal.php