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: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 382 Seiten

Reihe: NanoScience and Technology

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.

Fausto Rossi was born in Carpi (Italy) on 12/05/1962. Education: Laurea in Physics in 1988 at the University of Modena (110/110 cum Laude) and Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Parma in 1993. Present appointment: Full Professor of Matter Physics at the Polytechnic University of Torino. Prof. Rossi has published more than 200 research articles on international journals and books; he has been an invited lecturer at over 80 international conferences, workshops and schools. He has served as member of the Editorial Board of the Institute of Physics (IOP) and he is currently member of the International Semiconductor Commission (C8) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP).His research activity includes: Theoretical investigation of ultrafast processes in bulk and low-dimensional semiconductors. Analysis of quantum-transport phenomena in the high-field regime. Study of the linear and non-linear optical response of quantum-wires and dots in the presence of Coulomb-correlation effects. Analysis of few-electron phenomena in artificial macroatoms. Microscopic modelling of state-of-the-art optoelectronic quantum devices, like quantum-cascade lasers. Implementation of quantum information processing with semiconductor nanostructures. Broad experience in the formal theory of stochastic simulations.

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