Interrelation of structural and electronic properties in InxGa1-xN/GaN quantum dots using an eight-band k•p model

We present an eight-band k center dot p-model for the calculation of the electronic structure of wurtzite semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and its application to indium gallium nitride (InxGa1-xN) QDs formed by composition fluctuations in InxGa1-xN layers. The eight-band k center dot p-model accounts for strain effects, piezoelectricity and pyroelectricity, and spin-orbit and crystal-field splitting. Exciton binding energies are calculated using the self-consistent Hartree method. Using this model, we studied the electronic properties of InxGa1-xN QDs and their dependence on structural properties, i.e., their chemical composition, height, and lateral diameter. We found a dominant influence of the built-in piezoelectric and pyroelectric fields, causing a spatial separation of the bound electron and hole states and a redshift of the exciton transition energies. The single-particle energies as well as the exciton energies depend heavily on the composition and geometry of the QDs.