Criteria for the Use of Approximations for Full Band Structures of Compound III–V Semiconductor Quantum Wells

Abstract

The calculation of material gain and performance characteristics of compound III–V semiconductor quantum well (QW) lasers has been developed, incorporating various approximations for the band structure. As the accuracy and sophistication of the band structure are increased, the computational time and mathematical complexity rise accordingly. The modeling of QW lasers is examined to determine the criteria for the accurate use of a parabolic approximation for the full band structure in the calculation of the material gain and performance characteristics of a conventional III–V QW. A comparison of the cosine approximation of band structure in highly mismatched alloys is also presented.