5.

10 Extra Band structure of a superlattice

5.10 Extra Band structure of a superlattice The derivation of the band structure of a superlattice, equation (5.88), originally given in in section 5.6 is rather cryptic and not wonderfully helpful, so here is a fuller explanation. Equation (5.86) shows that the Bloch factorsexp(ika) are given by the eigenvalues of the matrix AT0 in equation (5.87). I used a short cut to avoid calculating the eigenvalues properly. Here it is in detail. 5.10.1 Straightforward calculation The straightforward approach is to nd the eigenvalues explicitly by solving the secular equation in the usual way. Here is the working. 0 = det |eika I AT0 | eik1 a r /t eika eik1 a /t = det ik1 a ika e r/t e eik1 a /t = (eika eik1 a /t )(eika eik1 a /t) (eik1 a r /t )(eik1 a r/t) 1 eik1 a |r|2 eik1 a + 2 2 + = (eika )2 eika t t |t| |t| ik1 a ik1 a 2 1 |r| e e + = (eika )2 eika + t t |t|2 eik1 a eik1 a +1 = (eika )2 eika + t t eik1 a + 1. (5.134) = (eika )2 2eika Re t The two fractions in the middle term are complex conjugates of each other and the last term simplies because |r|2 + |t|2 = 1. We started with a complex equation but the coefcients of the nal expression are all real, so the roots for eika must either be real or a complex conjugate pair. The usual formula for the solution of a quadratic equation then gives eika = Re eik1 a t Re eik1 a t
2

1.

(5.135)

The nature of the solutions depends on the magnitude of Re(eik1 a /t). (i) If | Re(eik1 a /t)| < 1, the solutions are complex and can be written as eika = Re eik1 a t i 1 Re eik1 a t
2

(5.136)

The sum of the squares of the real and imaginary parts of the right-hand side

Tunnelling transport

is unity, which shows that the solutions obey |eika |2 = 1. Thus k must be real and the two eigenvalues are complex conjugates of each other. They can therefore be written as eika and eika and correspond to propagating states in the superlattice. Summing the two roots in the above equation shows that eika + eika = 2 cos ka = 2 Re eik1 a t , (5.137)

which is equation (5.88). (ii) In the opposite case, where | Re(eik1 a /t)| > 1, the solutions are real. One of them must have a magnitude greater than unity (the root with the + sign if Re(eik1 a /t) is positive and the root with the sign if it is negative). The wavevector k must be imaginary and the roots can be written as ea and ea or as ea and ea . These are decaying states, which must lie in a bandgap of the superlattice.

5.10.2 Short cut For a short cut, go back to equation (5.134). The product of the roots of ax2 + bx + c = 0 is given by c/a, which is unity here. Thus the product of the two values of eika must be unity. This can be achieved in two ways: (i) If k is purely real, the two solutions are eika and eika . These form a complex conjugate pair with a modulus of unity. (ii) If k is purely imaginary, the two solutions can be written as ea and ea or as ea and ea . These are real with modulus greater than 1 and less than 1 respectively (assuming that > 0). Also, the sum of the roots is given by b/a. In the case of real k this shows that eika + eika = 2 cos ka = 2 Re This is equation (5.88) again. eik1 a t . (5.138)

5.10.3 Shorter cut There is an even shorter cut, which requires some properties of eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and diagonalized matrices. This is the method that was implied in the main text. When a 2 2 matrix is diagonalised the result has the eigenvalues along the diagonal, 1 0 0 2 . (5.139)

5.10 Extra Band structure of a superlattice

The trace is the sum of the diagonal elements, just 1 + 2 , and the determinant is their product, 1 2 . Both the trace and determinant are invariant when the matrix is diagonalised, so we can read them off from the original matrix in equation (5.87). Thus the product of the eigenvalues must be unity and the sum is given by equation (5.88).