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    Kronig Penney Model

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    HolloGram
    The document derives the Kronig-Penney model, which describes the motion of electrons in a solid. It assumes the wavefunction is a Bloch function with a traveling wave multiplied by a periodic function. Applying Schrodinger's equation in the barrier and non-barrier regions yields solutions. Continuity requirements at the boundaries produce four equations with four unknowns. Setting the determinant of the equations to zero results in an expression relating the wave vector and energy. In the limit of thin barriers, this reduces to a simple expression describing electron motion in the solid.

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    Kronig Penney Model

    Uploaded by

    HolloGram
    295 views3 pages
    The document derives the Kronig-Penney model, which describes the motion of electrons in a solid. It assumes the wavefunction is a Bloch function with a traveling wave multiplied by a periodic function. Applying Schrodinger's equation in the barrier and non-barrier regions yields solutions. Continuity requirements at the boundaries produce four equations with four unknowns. Setting the determinant of the equations to zero results in an expression relating the wave vector and energy. In the limit of thin barriers, this reduces to a simple expression describing electron motion in the solid.

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    Kronig Penney Model

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    The document derives the Kronig-Penney model, which describes the motion of electrons in a solid. It assumes the wavefunction is a Bloch function with a traveling wave multiplied by a periodic function. Applying Schrodinger's equation in the barrier and non-barrier regions yields solutions. Continuity requirements at the boundaries produce four equations with four unknowns. Setting the determinant of the equations to zero results in an expression relating the wave vector and energy. In the limit of thin barriers, this reduces to a simple expression describing electron motion in the solid.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    295 views3 pages

    Kronig Penney Model

    Uploaded by

    HolloGram
    The document derives the Kronig-Penney model, which describes the motion of electrons in a solid. It assumes the wavefunction is a Bloch function with a traveling wave multiplied by a periodic function. Applying Schrodinger's equation in the barrier and non-barrier regions yields solutions. Continuity requirements at the boundaries produce four equations with four unknowns. Setting the determinant of the equations to zero results in an expression relating the wave vector and energy. In the limit of thin barriers, this reduces to a simple expression describing electron motion in the solid.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 3

    2.3.8.

    Derivation of the Kronig-Penney model


    The solution to Schrödinger’s equation for the Kronig-Penney potential previously shown in
    Figure 2.3.3 and discussed in section 2.3.2.1 is obtained by assuming that the solution is a Bloch
    function, namely a traveling wave solution of the form, eikx, multiplied with a periodic solution,
    u(x), which has the same period as the periodic potential. The total wavefunction is therefore of
    the form:

    Ψ ( x) = u ( x )e ikx (2.3.18)

    where u(x) is the periodic function as defined by u(x) = u(x + a), and k(x) is the wave number.
    Rewriting the wavefunction in such form allows the simplification of the Schrödinger equation,
    which we now apply to region I, between the barriers where V(x) = 0 and region II, the barrier
    region where V(x) = V0:
    In region I, Schrödinger’s equation becomes:

    d 2 u I ( x) du ( x) (2.3.19)
    2
    + 2ik I + ( β 2 − k 2 )u I ( x ) = 0 for 0 < x < a-b
    dx dx

    with

    2π (2.3.20)
    β= 2mE
    h

    While in region II, it becomes:

    d 2 u II ( x ) du ( x ) (2.3.21)
    2
    + 2ik II − ( k 2 + α 2 )u II ( x ) = 0 for a-b < x < a
    dx dx

    with

    2π (2.3.22)
    α= 2m(V0 − E )
    h

    The solution to equations (2.3.6) and (2.3.8) are of the form:

    u I ( x) = ( A cos β x + B sin β x)e − ikx for 0 < x < a-b (2.3.23)

    u II ( x) = (C cosh αx + D sin αx)e − ikx for a-b < x < a (2.3.24)

    Since the potential, V(x), is finite everywhere, the solutions for uI(x) and uII(x) must be
    continuous as well as their first derivatives. Continuity at x = 0 results in:

    u I (0) = u II (0) so that A = C (2.3.25)


    and continuity at x = a-b combined with the requirement that u(x) be periodic results in:

    u I (a − b) = u II (−b) (2.3.26)

    so that

    ( A cos β (a − b) + B sin β (a − b))e − ik ( a −b ) = (C cosh αb − D sinh αb)e ikb (2.3.27)

    Continuity of the first derivative at x = 0 requires that:

    du I ( x) du II ( x) (2.3.28)
    =
    dx x =0 dx x =0

    The first derivatives of uI(x) and uII(x) are:

    du I ( x ) (2.3.29)
    = ( Aβ sin β x − Bβ cos β x )e −ikx − ik ( A cos β x + B sin β x )e −ikx
    dx

    du II ( x ) (2.3.30)
    = (Cα sinh αx + Dα cosh αx)e −ikx − ik (C cosh αx + D sinh αx )e −ikx
    dx

    so that (2.3.15) becomes:

    − Bβ − ikA = Dα − ikC (2.3.31)

    Finally, continuity of the first derivative at x = a-b, again combined with the requirement that
    u(x) is periodic, results in:

    du I ( x ) du II ( x ) (2.3.32)
    =
    dx x = a −b dx x =−b

    so that

    ( Aβ sin β ( a − b) − Bβ cos β ( a − b))e − ik ( a −b ) (2.3.33)


    − ik ( A cos β ( a − b) + B sin β ( a − b))e −ik ( a −b )
    = ( −Cα sinh αb + Dα cosh αb)e ikb − ik (C cosh αb − D sinh αb)e ikb

    This equation can be simplified using equation (2.3.14) as:

    ( Aβ sin β (a − b) − Bβ cos β ( a − b)) = (−Cα sinh αb + Dα cosh αb)e ika (2.3.34)

    As a result we have four homogenous equations, (2.3.12), (2.3.14), (2.3.18), and (2.3.21), with
    four unknowns, A, B, C, and D, for which there will be a solution if the determinant of this set of
    equations is zero, or:
    1 0 −1 0 (2.3.35)
    0 β 0 α
    =0
    cos β ( a − b) sin β ( a − b) − cosh αb exp ika sinh αb exp ika
    β sin β (a − b) − β cos β (a − b) α sin αb exp ika − α cosh αb exp ika

    The first row of the determinant represents equation (2.3.12), the second row is obtained by
    combining (2.3.18) and (2.3.12), the third row represents equation (2.3.14) and the fourth row
    represents equation (2.3.21). This determinant can be rewritten as two determinants, each with
    three rows and column, while replacing cosβ(a-b) by βc, sinβ(a-b) by βs, coshαb eika by αc and
    sinhαb eika by αs, which results in:

    β 0 α 0 β α (2.3.36)
    βs −αc α s = βc βs αs
    − ββ c αα s − αα c ββ s − ββ c − αα c

    Working out the determinants and using βc2 + βs2 = 1, and αc2 - αs2 = e2ika, one finds:

    (α 2 − β 2 ) sinh αb sin β (a − b) exp ika + 2αβ cosh αb cos β ( a − b) exp ika = αβ (1 + (2.3.37)

    And finally, substituting βc, βs, αc and αs:

    α2 −β2 (2.3.38)
    cos ka = F = sinh αb sin β (a − b) + cosh αb cos β ( a − b)
    2αβ

    where eika + e-ika was replaced by 2cos ka.


    A further simplification is obtained as the barrier width, b, is reduced to zero while the barrier
    height, V0, is increased to infinity in such manner that the product, bV0, remains constant and the
    potential becomes a delta function train at x = a and repeated with a period of a, namely bV0δ(x –
    b – na) where n is an integer. As b approaches zero, sinhαb approaches αb. Equation (2.3.25)
    then reduces to:

    sin β a (2.3.39)
    cos ka = F = P + cos β a
    βa

    with

    2mE mV0 ba (2.3.40)


    β= and P =
    h h2

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