Rossi Theory of Semiconductor Quantum Devices

Microscopic Modeling and Simulation Strategies
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-3-642-10556-2
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 382 Seiten

Primary goal of this book is to provide a cohesive description of the vast field of semiconductor quantum devices, with special emphasis on basic quantum-mechanical phenomena governing the electro-optical response of new-generation nanomaterials. The book will cover within a common language different types of optoelectronic nanodevices, including quantum-cascade laser sources and detectors, few-electron/exciton quantum devices, and semiconductor-based quantum logic gates. The distinguishing feature of the present volume is a unified microscopic treatment of quantum-transport and coherent-optics phenomena on ultrasmall space- and time-scales, as well as of their semiclassical counterparts.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rossi, Fausto

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;NANOSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY;1
2;Preface;6
3;Contents;9
4;1 Fundamentals of Semiconductor Materials and Devices;13
4.1;1.1 An Introductory Overview on Semiconductor Physics and Technology;13
4.2;1.2 Bulk Materials and Nanostructures;20
4.2.1;1.2.1 Ground State and Excitation Spectra of a Semiconductor Crystal;20
4.2.2;1.2.2 Low-Dimensional Heterostructures;33
4.3;1.3 The Semiclassical or Boltzmann Picture;56
4.3.1;1.3.1 The Boltzmann Equation;56
4.3.2;1.3.2 Application to Electron Dynamics in Semiconductors;57
4.3.3;1.3.3 Generalization to Low-Dimensional Nanostructures;59
4.4;1.4 From Materials to Devices: ``Closed'' Versus ``Open'' Systems;60
5;2 Ultrashort Space- and Time-Scales: Need for a Quantum Description;64
5.1;2.1 Intrinsic Limitations of the Semiclassical Picture;64
5.2;2.2 Semiclassical Versus Quantum Treatments;67
5.3;2.3 Space-Dependent Phenomena;85
5.4;2.4 Quantum Systems with Spatial Boundaries;88
5.5;2.5 Experimental Techniques;88
5.6;2.6 The Wide Family of Quantum Devices;96
6;Part I Microscopic Description and Simulation Techniques;98
7;3 The Density-Matrix Approach ;99
7.1;3.1 Physical System and Liouville--von Neumann Equation;101
7.2;3.2 The Interaction Picture;103
7.3;3.3 Three-Key Approximation Levels;104
7.3.1;3.3.1 The Adiabatic or Markov Limit;104
7.3.2;3.3.2 The Reduced or Electronic Description;112
7.3.3;3.3.3 The Single-Particle Picture;120
7.4;3.4 Need for a Gauge-Invariant Formulation of the Problem;129
7.5;3.5 Alternative Formulation of the Markov Limit: The ``Quantum Fermi's Golden Rule'';134
8;4 Generalization to Systems with Open Boundaries;141
8.1;4.1 Semiconductor Bloch Equations for Open Systems;141
8.2;4.2 Failure of the Conventional Wigner-Function Formalism;152
8.3;4.3 Alternative Treatments Based on Fully Quantum-Mechanical Projection Techniques;160
8.4;4.4 A Simple Kinetic Model Based on a Closed-System Paradigm;167
9;5 Simulation Strategies;177
9.1;5.1 Direct or Deterministic Integration Techniques;178
9.1.1;5.1.1 The Finite-Element/Finite-Difference Method;179
9.1.2;5.1.2 The Plane-Wave Expansion;181
9.1.3;5.1.3 The Time-Step Integration;187
9.2;5.2 Monte Carlo or Stochastic Sampling;187
9.2.1;5.2.1 Two Different Points of View About Monte Carlo;188
9.2.2;5.2.2 A Bit of Probability Theory;189
9.2.3;5.2.3 Monte Carlo Sampling of Sums and Integrals;193
9.2.4;5.2.4 Direct Monte Carlo Simulation of Stochastic Processes;210
9.2.5;5.2.5 Sampling of Differential Equations: The Weighted Monte Carlo Method;215
9.3;5.3 Proper Combinations of Direct and Monte Carlo Schemes;219
10;Part II State-of-the-Art Unipolar Quantum Devices: General Properties and Key Examples;222
11;6 Modeling of Unipolar Semiconductor Nanodevices;223
11.1;6.1 Vertical Transport in the Low-Field Regime;226
11.2;6.2 Vertical Transport in the High-Field Regime;230
11.3;6.3 Investigation of Coupled Carrier--Quasiparticle Nonequilibrium Regimes;234
12;7 Quantum-Well Infrared Photodetectors;240
12.1;7.1 Fundamentals of Semiconductor-Based Infrared Detection;240
12.2;7.2 Single- Versus Multi-photon Strategies;242
12.3;7.3 Operational-Temperature Optimization of Terahertz Photodetectors;249
13;8 Quantum-Cascade Lasers;256
13.1;8.1 Fundamentals of Quantum-Cascade Devices;256
13.2;8.2 Modeling of Mid-infrared Quantum-Cascade Devices;259
13.2.1;8.2.1 Partially Phenomenological Approach;259
13.2.2;8.2.2 Global-Simulation Scheme;262
13.2.3;8.2.3 Quantum-Transport Phenomena;266
13.2.4;8.2.4 Active-Region/Cavity--Mode Coupling;269
13.3;8.3 Toward Terahertz Laser Sources;272
14;Part III New-Generation Nanomaterials and Nanodevices;280
15;9 Few-Electron/Exciton Quantum Devices;281
15.1;9.1 Fundamentals of Semiconductor Macroatoms;281
15.2;9.2 Coulomb-Correlation Effects in Few-Carrier Systems;283
15.2.1;9.2.1 Single-Particle Description;284
15.2.2;9.2.2 Coulomb-Correlated Carrier System;284
15.2.3;9.2.3 Interaction with External Light Sources;287
15.2.4;9.2.4 The Excitonic Picture;290
15.3;9.3 Field-Induced Exciton--Exciton Dipole Coupling;293
15.4;9.4 Semiconductor Double Quantum Dots as ``Storage Qubits'';304
15.4.1;9.4.1 Definition of the Storage Qubit;304
15.4.2;9.4.2 State Measurement via a STIRAP Process;306
15.5;9.5 Potential All-Optical Read-Out Devices;312
16;10 Semiconductor-Based Quantum Logic Gates;316
16.1;10.1 Fundamentals of Quantum Information Processing;316
16.2;10.2 All-Optical QIP with Semiconductor Macroatoms;317
16.2.1;10.2.1 GaAs-Based Quantum Hardware;318
16.2.2;10.2.2 GaN-Based Quantum Hardware;322
16.2.3;10.2.3 Combination of Charge and Spin Degrees of Freedom;327
16.3;10.3 QIP with Ballistic Electrons in Semiconductor Nanowires;330
16.3.1;10.3.1 Quantum Hardware and Basic Logic Operations;331
16.3.2;10.3.2 Testing Bell's Inequality Violations in Semiconductors;334
17;11 New Frontiers of Electronic and Optoelectronic Device Physics and Technology;338
17.1;11.1 Molecular Electronics (Moletronics);338
17.2;11.2 Spin-Transport Electronics (Spintronics);342
18;Part IV Appendices;348
19;A The Envelope-Function Approximation;349
20;B The U Boundary-Condition Scheme;353
21;C Evaluation of the Carrier--Quasiparticle Scattering Superoperator;356
22;D Derivation of the Wigner Transport Equation;359
23;References;362
24;Index;378