The theoretical basis and the relevant experimental knowledge underlying our present understanding of the electrical and optical properties of semiconductor heterostructures. Although such structures have been known since the 1940s, it was only in the 1980s that they moved to the forefront of research. The resulting structures have remarkable properties not shared by bulk materials. The text begins with a description of the electronic properties of various types of heterostructures, including discussions of complex band-structure effects, localised states, tunnelling phenomena, and excitonic states. The focus of the remainder of the book is on optical properties, including intraband absorption, luminescence and recombination, Raman scattering, subband optical transitions, nonlinear effects, and ultrafast optical phenomena. The concluding chapter presents an overview of some of the applications that make use of the physics discussed. Appendices provide background information on band structure theory, kinetic theory, electromagnetic modes, and Coulomb effects.

In this work we apply the methods of band structure calculation combined with self-consistent treatment of the light-matter interaction to a variety of problems in bulk semiconductors and semiconductor heterostructures as well as in new optoelectronic devices. In particular, we utilize the 30- and 8-band k · p band structure calculation methods to study the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of the diluted magnetic semiconductor, GaMnAs, in the mean-field Zener model. We calculate the anisotropic dielectric response of GaMnAs in the metallic regime and show that our model produces a good agreement with the experimental results of magneto-optical Kerr spectroscopy in the interband transition region. We also discuss the advantages of the 30-band k · p model for spin-polarized ferromagnetic GaMnAs. We present new methods for calculating electronic states in low-dimensional semiconductor heterostructures based on the real-space Hamiltonian. The formalism provides extreme simplicity of the numerical implementation and superior accuracy of the results. They are applicable to a general n-band k · p model and specifically tested in the 6- and 8-band k · p models, and a simple parabolic one band model. The transparency of the new method allows us to investigate the origin and elimination of spurious solutions in the unified manner. Spurious solutions have long been a major issue in low- dimensional band structure calculations. As an application of nonlinear optical interactions in two-dimensional semiconductor heterostructures, we calculate the upper limits on the efficiency of the passive terahertz difference frequency generation based on the intersubband resonant nonlinearity. Our approach incorporates electronic states together with propagating coupled fields through the self-consistent calculation of the Poisson equation, density matrix equations, and coupled wave equations. We develop optimal device geometries and systematically study the device performance as a function of various parameters. The results are compared with a simplified analytic solution. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/152436

This study is a theoretical investigation of the electronic and optical properties of intrinsic semiconductors using the orthogonal empirical tight binding model. An analysis of the bulk properties of semiconductors with the zincblende, diamond and rocksalt structures has been carried out. We have extended the work of others to higher order in the interaction integrals and derived new parameter sets for certain semiconductors which better fit the experimental data over the Brillouin zone. The Hamiltonian of the heterostructures is built up layer by layer from the parameters of the bulk constituents. The second part of this work examines a number of applications of the theory. We present a new microscopic derivation of the intervalley deformation potentials within the tight binding representation and computes a number of conduction-band deformation potentials of bulk semiconductors. We have also studied the electronic states in heterostructures and have shown theoretically the possibility of having barrier localization of above-barrier states in a multivalley heterostructure using a multiband calculation. Another result is the proposal for a new "type-II" lasing mechanism in short-period GaAs/AlAs superlattices. As for our work on the optical properties, a new formalism, based on the generalized Feynman-Hellmann theorem, for computing interband optical matrix elements has been obtained and has been used to compute the linear and second-order nonlinear optical properties of a number of bulk semiconductors and semiconductor heterostructures. In agreement with the one-band elective mass calculations of other groups, our more elaborate calculations show that the intersubband oscillator strengths of quantum wells can be greatly enhanced over the bulk interband values.

Fundamentals of Solid State Engineering is structured in two major parts. It first addresses the basic physics concepts, which are at the base of solid state matter in general and semiconductors in particular. The second part reviews the technology for modern Solid State Engineering. This includes a review of compound semiconductor bulk and epitaxial thin films growth techniques, followed by a description of current semiconductor device processing and nano-fabrication technologies. A few examples of semiconductor devices and a description of their theory of operational are then discussed, including transistors, semiconductor lasers, and photodetectors.

"Fundamentals of Solid State Engineering, 2nd Edition, provides a multi-disciplinary introduction to solid state engineering, combining concepts from physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, materials science and mechanical engineering. Revised throughout, this third edition includes new topics such as electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions, in addition to the Kane effective mass method. A chapter devoted to quantum mechanics has been expanded to cover topics such as the harmonic oscillator, the hydrogen atom, the quantum mechanical description of angular momentum and the origin of spin. This textbook also features an improved transport theory description, which now goes beyond Drude theory, discussing the Boltzmann approach. Introducing students to the rigorous quantum mechanical way of thinking about and formulating transport processes, this textbook presents the basic physics concepts and thorough treatment of semiconductor characterization technology, designed for solid state engineers."--Publisher's website.