Quantum confinement phenomena in nanowire superlattice structures

M. Willatzen, R.V.N. Melnik, C. Galeriu and L.C. Lew Yan Voon

Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), 2004, vol. 65, issue 4, 385-397

Abstract: Nanowire superlattices (NWSLs) are objects with a wide range of potential applications in nanoscale electronics and photonics. These objects are already grown experimentally in laboratories and studies of their properties represent an important task in nanotechnology research. Tools of mathematical modelling provide a powerful means for studying these fascinating structures with an ultimate goal of predicting their properties and understanding their limits. In this paper, we analyse finite nanowire GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As superlattice structures with a cylindrical cross-section and determine their electronic eigenstates and energy eigenvalues. We analyse in detail the qualitative differences, in terms of wavefunctions and energy eigenvalues, between structures containing the same number of barriers and wells (asymmetrical) and structures where the number of barrier layers is one above the number of well layers (symmetrical). We demonstrate that asymmetrical NWSL structures have well-pronounced qualitative and quantitative differences as compared to both symmetrical NWSL structures and infinite periodic NWSL structures. We show also that there exists a critical radius Rc for quantum confinement, that is the NWSL ground state is confined in GaAs (Al0.3Ga0.7As) for a nanowire of radius R above (below) Rc. In the specific case where R=Rc, the ground state is smeared out over the entire NWSL structure.

Keywords: Nanowire superlattices; Nanotechnology; Barrier layers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378475404000242
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:matcom:v:65:y:2004:i:4:p:385-397

DOI: 10.1016/j.matcom.2004.01.010

Access Statistics for this article

Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM) is currently edited by Robert Beauwens

More articles in Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM) from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().