Finite Element Analysis of Strain Effects on Electronic and Transport Properties in Quantum Dots and Wires

Abstract

Lattice mismatch in layered semiconductor structures with submicron length scales leads to extremely high nonuniform strains. This paper presents a finite element technique for incorporating the effects of the nonuniform strain into an analysis of the electronic properties of SiGe quantum structures. Strain fields are calculated using a standard structural mechanics finite element package and the effects are included as a nonuniform potential directly in the time independent Schrodinger equation; a k-p Hamiltonian is used to model the effects of multiple valence subband coupling. A variational statement of the equation is formulated and solved using the finite element method. This technique is applied to resonant tunneling diode quantum dots and wires; the resulting densities of states confined to the quantum well layers of the devices are compared to experimental current-voltage I(V) curves.