Model solid approximation

Electronic structure methods
Valence bond theory
Generalized valence bond Modern valence bond Resonance
Molecular orbital theory
Hartree–Fock method Semi-empirical quantum chemistry methods Møller–Plesset perturbation theory Configuration interaction Coupled cluster Multi-configurational self-consistent field Quantum chemistry composite methods Quantum Monte Carlo Linear combination of atomic orbitals
Electronic band structure
Nearly free electron model Tight binding Muffin-tin approximation Density functional theory k·p perturbation theory Empty lattice approximation
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The model solid approximation is a method used for determining the extrema of energy bands in semiconductors. The method was first proposed for silicon-germanium alloys by Chris G. Van de Walle and Richard M. Martin in 1986^[1] and extended to several other semiconductor materials by Van de Walle in 1989.^[2] It has been used extensively for modelling semiconductor heterostructure devices such as quantum cascade lasers.^[3]

Although the electrostatic potential in a semiconductor crystal fluctuates on an atomic scale, the model solid approximation averages these fluctuations out to obtain a constant energy level for each material.

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