The Electronic Structure of Diamond

The method of Wigner, Seitz and Slater has been applied to the determination of the electronic structure of diamond. It is found that the energy levels of the carbon atom are broadened into bands similar to the energy bands in metals. The 2s level of the atom splits into two bands, and the 2p level into six bands. The two 2s bands are completely filled by electrons and the two lowest of the 2p bands. The lowest unfilled band has a much higher energy than the highest filled band. The lack of electrical conductivity is explained and other properties of the diamond are discussed.