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Multi-dimensional modeling and simulation of semiconductor nanophotonic devices
2019, Kantner, Markus, Höhne, Theresa, Koprucki, Thomas, Burger, Sven, Wünsche, Hans-Jürgen, Schmidt, Frank, Mielke, Alexander, Bandelow, Uwe
Self-consistent modeling and multi-dimensional simulation of semiconductor nanophotonic devices is an important tool in the development of future integrated light sources and quantum devices. Simulations can guide important technological decisions by revealing performance bottlenecks in new device concepts, contribute to their understanding and help to theoretically explore their optimization potential. The efficient implementation of multi-dimensional numerical simulations for computer-aided design tasks requires sophisticated numerical methods and modeling techniques. We review recent advances in device-scale modeling of quantum dot based single-photon sources and laser diodes by self-consistently coupling the optical Maxwell equations with semiclassical carrier transport models using semi-classical and fully quantum mechanical descriptions of the optically active region, respectively. For the simulation of realistic devices with complex, multi-dimensional geometries, we have developed a novel hp-adaptive finite element approach for the optical Maxwell equations, using mixed meshes adapted to the multi-scale properties of the photonic structures. For electrically driven devices, we introduced novel discretization and parameter-embedding techniques to solve the drift-diffusion system for strongly degenerate semiconductors at cryogenic temperature. Our methodical advances are demonstrated on various applications, including vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, grating couplers and single-photon sources.
Efficient coupling of electro-optical and heat-transport models for broad-area semiconductor lasers
2018, Radziunas, Mindaugas, Fuhrmann, Jürgen, Zeghuzi, Anissa, Wünsche, Hans-Jürgen, Koprucki, Thomas, Brée, Carsten, Wenzel, Hans, Bandelow, Uwe
In this work, we discuss the modeling of edge-emitting high-power broad-area semiconductor lasers. We demonstrate an efficient iterative coupling of a slow heat transport (HT) model defined on multiple vertical-lateral laser cross-sections with a fast dynamic electro-optical (EO) model determined on the longitudinal-lateral domain that is a projection of the device to the active region of the laser. Whereas the HT-solver calculates temperature and thermally-induced refractive index changes, the EO-solver exploits these distributions and provides time-averaged field intensities, quasi-Fermi potentials, and carrier densities. All these time-averaged distributions are used repetitively by the HT-solver for the generation of the heat sources entering the HT problem solved in the next iteration step.
Efficient coupling of inhomogeneous current spreading and dynamic electro-optical models for broad-area edge-emitting semiconductor devices
2017, Radziunas, Mindaugas, Zeghuzi, Anissa, Fuhrmann, Jürgen, Koprucki, Thomas, Wünsche, Hans-Jürgen, Wenzel, Hans, Bandelow, Uwe
We extend a 2 (space) + 1 (time)-dimensional traveling wave model for broad-area edgeemitting semiconductor lasers by a model for inhomogeneous current spreading from the contact to the active zone of the laser. To speedup the performance of the device simulations, we suggest and discuss several approximations of the inhomogeneous current density in the active zone.