Finite Element Analysis of Strain Effects on Cuboidal CdTe/ZnTe Quantum Dots by Using the Eight-Band Strained k.p Hamiltonian

The strain effects on the conduction and the valence subband energy structures of cuboidal CdTe/ZnTe quantum dots (QDs) are analyzed by using a three dimensional finite-element method formulation with the eight-band strained Luttinger-Kohn Hamiltonian. Both the conduction and the valance subband energies of the strained QD axe shown to decrease more slowly than those of the unstrained cases with increasing QD size. For both the conduction and the valence subbands, the energy difference between the first and the second excited states diminishes with increasing QD size. We demonstrate that the combined effect of the strain and the size of QD can be sensitive to the transition energy between the conduction and the valence subbands.