The Physics Department at San Jose State has added a new upper division undergraduate laboratory course in solid state physics to its curriculum. This laboratory supplements a lecture course in solid state Physics. The new lab and the lecture course (expanded to two semesters each) will be the core of a new Concentration in Condensed Matter Physics. In the lab, students perform (or will perform) work on x-ray crystallography, electrical resistivity, Hall effect and magnetoresistance, photoconductivity, magnetism, electron paramagnetic resonance, superconductivity, liquid crystals, liquid helium, and Mossbauer effect. There will be an emphasis on studies of semiconductors, and on the differences between crystalline and amorphous forms of matter. Major equipment provided here to strengthen this lab course includes 1) an electronics upgrade for a Cary 14 Spectrophotometer, 2) temperature controller for systems between 2 K and room temperature, 3) programmable temperature controllers between 80 K and 350 K, 4) magnet power supplies, 5) a vacuum pump and gauges, 6) a liquid helium dewar, and 7) a ratemeter and power supply for a Geiger-Muller tube. The University will match the award with an equal amount of funds.
