Michel Lannoo - Böcker

The Winter School held in Les Houches on March 12-21, 1985 was devoted to Semiconductor Heterojunctions and Superlattices, a topic which is recognized as being now one of the most interesting and active fields in semiconductor physics. In fact, following the pioneering work of Esaki and Tsu in 1970, the study of these two-dimensional semiconductor heterostructures has developed rapidly, both from the point of view of basic physics and of applications. For instance, modulation-doped heterojunctions are nowadays currently used to investigate the quantum Hall effect and to make very fast transistors. This book contains the lectures presented at this Winter School, showing in particular that many aspects of semiconductor heterojunctions and super­ lattices were treated, extending from the fabrication of these two-dimensional systems to their basic properties and applications in micro-and opto-electron­ ics. Among the subjects which were covered, one can quote as examples: molecular beam epitaxy and metallorganic chemical vapor deposition of semi­ conductor compounds; band structure of superlattices; properties of elec­ trons in heterojunctions, including the fractional quantum Hall effect; opti­ cal properties of two-dimensional heterostructures; quantum well lasers; and two-dimensional electron gas field effect transistors. It is clear that two-dimensional semiconductor systems are raising a great deal of interest in many industrial and university laboratories. From the number of applications which were received and from the reactions of the participants, it can certainly be asserted that this School corresponded to a need and came at the right time.

Progress in nanoscience is becoming increasingly dependent on simulation and modelling. This is due to a combination of three factors: the reduced size of nano-objects, the increasing power of computers, and the development of new theoretical methods. This book represents the first attempt to provide the theoretical background needed by physicists, engineers and students to simulate nanodevices, semiconductor quantum dots and molecular devices. It presents in a unified way the theoretical concepts, the more recent semi-empirical and ab-initio methods, and their application to experiments. The topics include quantum confinement, dielectric and optical properties, non-radiative processes, defects and impurities, and quantum transport. This guidebook not only provides newcomers with an accessible overview (requiring only basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and solid-state physics) but also provides active researchers with practical simulation tools.

Surfaces and interfaces play an increasingly important role in today's solid state devices. In this book the reader is introduced, in a didactic manner, to the essential theoretical aspects of the atomic and electronic structure of surfaces and interfaces. The book does not pretend to give a complete overview of contemporary problems and methods. Instead, the authors strive to provide simple but qualitatively useful arguments that apply to a wide variety of cases. The emphasis of the book is on semiconductor surfaces and interfaces but it also includes a thorough treatment of transition metals, a general discussion of phonon dispersion curves, and examples of large computational calculations. The exercises accompanying every chapter will be of great benefit to the student.

Progress in nanoscience is becoming increasingly dependent on simulation and modelling. This is due to a combination of three factors: the reduced size of nano-objects, the increasing power of computers, and the development of new theoretical methods. This book represents the first attempt to provide the theoretical background needed by physicists, engineers and students to simulate nanodevices, semiconductor quantum dots and molecular devices. It presents in a unified way the theoretical concepts, the more recent semi-empirical and ab-initio methods, and their application to experiments. The topics include quantum confinement, dielectric and optical properties, non-radiative processes, defects and impurities, and quantum transport. This guidebook not only provides newcomers with an accessible overview (requiring only basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and solid-state physics) but also provides active researchers with practical simulation tools.

Surfaces and interfaces play an increasingly important role in today's solid state devices. In this book the reader is introduced, in a didactic manner, to the essential theoretical aspects of the atomic and electronic structure of surfaces and interfaces. The book does not pretend to give a complete overview of contemporary problems and methods. Instead, the authors strive to provide simple but qualitatively useful arguments that apply to a wide variety of cases. The emphasis of the book is on semiconductor surfaces and interfaces but it also includes a thorough treatment of transition metals, a general discussion of phonon dispersion curves, and examples of large computational calculations. The exercises accompanying every chapter will be of great benefit to the student.