Title: Strain sensitivity of band gaps of Sn-containing semiconductors

Diamond-like Cu-based multinary semiconductors are a rich family of materials that hold promise in a wide range of applications. Unfortunately, accurate theoretical understanding of the electronic properties of these materials is hindered by the involvement of Cu d electrons. Density functional theory (DFT) based calculations using the local density approximation or generalized gradient approximation often give qualitative wrong electronic properties of these materials, especially for narrow-gap systems. The modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) method has been shown to be a promising alternative to more elaborate theory such as the GW approximation for fast materials screening and predictions. However, straightforward applications of themore » mBJ method to these materials still encounter significant difficulties because of the insufficient treatment of the localized d electrons. We show that combining the promise of mBJ potential and the spirit of the well-established DFT + U method leads to a much improved description of the electronic structures, including the most challenging narrow-gap systems. A survey of the band gaps of about 20 Cu-based semiconductors calculated using the mBJ + U method shows that the results agree with reliable values to within ±0.2 eV.« less

In this paper, we use a tight binding Hamiltonian with spin orbit coupling to study the real and complex band structures of relaxed and strained GaAs. A simple d orbital on-site energy shift coupled with appropriate scaling of the off-diagonal terms is found to correctly reproduce the band-edge shifts with strain. Four different 〈100〉 strain combinations, namely, uniaxial compressive, uniaxial tensile, biaxial compressive, and biaxial tensile strain are studied, revealing rich valence band structure and strong relative orientation dependent tunneling. It is found that complex bands are unable to provide unambiguous tunneling paths away from the Brillouin zone center. Tunnelingmore » current density distribution over the Brillouin zone is computed using non-equilibrium Green's function approach elucidating a physical picture of band to band tunneling.« less