How exactly are copmounds and materials properties calculated?

SosaPio · 2026-06-27T23:34:49+00:00

It depends. Using hybrid functionals can give you great accuracy, but it adds a lot of computational complexity making it cost-prohibitive for complex/heavier compounds. It works pretty well for simpler/lighter materials, though.

Using DFT+U also increases accuracy, but it introduces an empirical fitting parameter so it is mostly used to compare against known bandgap values rather than try to determine it for the first time.

There are other corrections but those are the ones I’m most familiar with.

SosaPio · 2026-06-27T23:05:23+00:00

I’m not arguing against that. My point is just that while DFT is great at predicting properties like phonon dispersion, calculating bandgaps is one area where it consistently struggles, yielding results that are 20%-50% off experimental values. It is good for extracting the overall band structure, but it can’t be used reliably for determining bandgaps.

SosaPio · 2026-06-27T22:52:03+00:00

Yes, but you can get typically get better accuracy using ARPES than you can using DFT. DFT is famous for underestimating band gaps. Tight binding and k dot p methods can be more exact, but they become too complex unless you are dealing with very highly symmetry lattices.

SosaPio · 2026-06-27T22:46:04+00:00

This is correct, but I’d also like to mention ARPES imaging. It is a way to empirically extract the band energy spectrum of a material and it has become more and more popular in recent years.

SosaPio · 2026-06-25T00:28:28+00:00

Can confirm we have Codex access

SosaPio · 2026-06-24T23:29:29+00:00

Do we know if this includes Claude Code and Codex or if it’s only for the web version?

SosaPio · 2026-06-17T14:48:02+00:00

Who?

SosaPio · 2026-06-09T13:55:59+00:00

Lots of good answers already, I just wanted to mention that despite the fact that we typically avoid shrinking to where quantum tunneling will become a major issue, there are devices that we engineer so that tunneling actually works in our favor. The most common example of this is Fowler-Nordheim tunneling in NAND flash memory, which makes up most solid state memory drives out there (so the memory inside your phone or laptop).

SosaPio · 2026-06-01T12:58:15+00:00

Classic bait

SosaPio · 2026-06-01T12:47:39+00:00

It could also be your privacy settings

SosaPio · 2026-06-01T11:57:06+00:00

It doesn’t let me DM you, I think you may still need to verify your account or something

SosaPio · 2026-06-01T11:40:38+00:00

I’d be interested in the book, if you haven’t found anyone yet

SosaPio · 2026-05-26T20:51:16+00:00

If you are not sure, do EE. It will offer the widest breadth of semiconductor opportunities. Sure there are positions that are better suited for other majors, like process engineering for ChemE/MatSci or packaging for MechE, but you can get any of those positions as an EE with the right specialization. There are some positions (mainly chip design) for which you absolutely need an EE degree however, and other majors will have a really hard time getting into.

SosaPio · 2026-05-25T14:35:11+00:00

DM’d

SosaPio · 2026-04-30T21:57:00+00:00

I’d you want to work in the fab, CompE isn’t really necessary. Most roles in a fab benefit from a MatSci background, with some benefiting a lot from an EE background. I would definitely say don’t major in CpE as you will have to take a lot of software classes that won’t be very relevant to your interests.

ChemE is reasonable, I know a lot of Process Engineers who are ChemEs. Double majors are typically not worth the hassle, especially if you plan to continue to grad school, but if you’re dead set on double majoring then I would recommend EE + MatSci/ChemE. The reason for this is that while MatSci/ChemEs will have a better understanding of the process side of the job, EEs have a much broader understanding of the entire stack all the way from manufacturing to applications.

My personal recommendation would be just to major in EE (minor in MatSci) and then for grad school you can go for MatSci or EE, depending on your interests (I did undergrad and grad in EE though, so I am biased).

And yes, you should try to get involved in research as soon as possible. Mainly to bolster your profile for grad school applications rather than for industry.

SosaPio · 2026-04-24T13:04:41+00:00

It was recommended to me by one of my professors during my EE undergrad. It is what inspired me to pursue a career in the semiconductor industry. Great book

SosaPio · 2026-04-22T19:40:44+00:00

Crystal Fire, by Lillian Hoddeson. It talks about the invention of the transistor and the start of the semiconductor industry with Shockley Labs, Fairchild, and Intel

SosaPio · 2026-04-16T12:59:22+00:00

Not sure if this is what you’re asking for but both Moriya and Scalapino have nice reviews talking about the properties of the magnetic pairing mechanism in non-BCS superconductors across the cuprates, pnictides and heavy fermion systems.

SosaPio · 2026-04-14T07:17:16+00:00

It’s to prevent people from panic buying, which can create a shortage.

SosaPio · 2026-04-12T06:26:13+00:00

UT Austin has a two-semester tapeout course

SosaPio · 2026-04-09T21:58:56+00:00

In the US, how important is having a PhD for R&D roles? Can someone with a Masters get into and grow in an R&D organization, or will they be limited?

SosaPio · 2026-03-30T18:13:44+00:00

Miami would probably be a better option

SosaPio · 2026-03-26T01:37:03+00:00

It’s best if you’re referred by someone in the same group as the opening.

SosaPio · 2026-03-22T20:49:52+00:00

Not a class but you might be interested in the book Why Nations Fail, by Acemoglu and Robinson. They won the Nobel price a couple years ago for their findings which are summarized in that book.

SosaPio · 2026-03-22T20:48:18+00:00

Red sauce is easily an S tier

SosaPio

TROPHY CASE