We study the electronic states of self-organized InAs quantum dots embedded in a pn junction by means of capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics. A model based on the self-consistent solution of the Poisson equation and the drift-diffusion equations is proposed for calculating the capacitance. This model allows us to determine the energy levels of the quantum dot states and their inhomogeneous broadening from a comparison with experimental C–V data. Good quantitative agreement between predictions of the model and the low-frequency C–V characteristics is obtained.

Electron capture and emission by Coulomb scattering in self-assembled quantum dot (QD) devices is studied theoretically. While the dependence of the Coulomb scattering (Auger) rates on the local wetting layer electron density has been a topic of intense research, we put special interest on the remote scattering between QD electrons and continuum electrons originating from a quantum well, doped bulk layers or metal contacts. Numerical effort is made to include all microscopic transitions between the Fermi distributed continuum states. The remote Coulomb scattering is investigated as a function of the electron density, the distance from the QDs and the temperature. Our results are compared with experimental observations, considering lifetime limitations in QD memory structures as well as the electron emission in pn-diodes

Bistability in quantum-dot structures is examined by a drift-diffusion model in combination with electron capture and emission processes. Our simulations provide a dynamic scenario with extremely long switching times of the order of months and the results are in good agreement with the experimental findings of Yusa and Sakaki ͓Appl. Phys. Lett. 70, 345 ͑1997͔͒. The analysis of the data supports the importance of Auger capture processes for quantum dots.

This paper considers the self-consistent Coulomb interaction within arrays of self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) which are embedded in a pn structure. Strong emphasis is being put on the statistical occupation of the electronic QD states which has to be solved self-consistently with the actual three-dimensional potential distribution. A model which is based on a Green's function formalism including screening effects is used to calculate the interaction of QD carriers within an array of QDs, where screening due to the inhomogeneous bulk charge distribution is taken into acount. We apply our model to simulate capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristics of a pn structure with embedded QDs. Different size distributions of QDs and ensembles of spatially perodic and randomly distributed arrays of QDs are investigated.

We investigate the electron kinetics in quantum dot (QD) devices due to Coulomb scattering with carriers in a remote, non-local quantum well or bulk contact region. Our numerical calculations show that Auger relaxation times of microseconds are possible even for distances of several 100 nm between the QDs and an electron bulk layer.