Electronic Band Structure and Effective Masses of Ge1-xSnx Alloys

Abstract

The electronic band structures of Ge1-xSnx alloys for Sn composition varying from 0 to 20% were investigated using the Empirical Pseudopotential Method (EPM). By tuning the adjustable form factors of EPM, the band features which agree well with the reported experimental data were successfully reproduced. From the calculated band structures of Ge1-xSnx alloys along high symmetrical lines in the Brillouin Zone, the effective masses at the band edges were extracted by using a parabolic line fit. The bowing parameters of hole and electron effective masses were derived by fitting the effective mass at different Sn compositions by a quadratic polynomial.