9509751 Kerkhoven This research will focus on the development of numerical simulation approaches suitable for the analysis and design of nanostructures. The investigations will address quantum wire and quantum dot structures, with the goal to develop comprehensive physical and numerical models that can explain the results of measurements on experimental nanostructures, in a wide range of temperatures. The work will also consider new structures based on modification of existing silicon technology scaled into the nanometer range. A major effort will be in the area of 3-D models, to extend previous work to even more realistic situations, and improve the ability to treat extremely large numerical problems efficiently. Among other problems of interest is the development of direct numerical approaches for the characterization of atomic cluster, like the writing tip of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) in proximity of the surface of a nanostructure and 3-D solvers for the optical behavior of microstructure semiconductor lasers with surface emitting topology. For both applications, the unique approaches that were developed earlier for the solution of large sparse eigenvalue problems for semiconductor structures, will be adapted and extended.
