I am having trouble with a "gut understanding" of why the fermi level is constant across a junction between two materials.? It seems to trump the electrostatic potential.
I have a mental picture of electrostatic potential as the surface of water and if two containers filled with water are joined, perhaps by a tube, water will move from one container to the other until the two surfaces are at the same height.? Can I add a feature to this mental picture to include fermi energy?
Thanks.
Justin Parke
Oakland Mills High School
Columbia, MD