The members of this group employ advanced computational methods to model electronic transport and optical processes in solids, and to construct simulations of material and device behavior.
Group Leader: Jean-Pierre Leburton
Administrative Support Staff: Connie Wilder
Their work includes development of sophisticated Monte Carlo techniques to simulate semi-classical transport and charge carrier dynamics in conventional devices and quantum structures, 2-D simulators such as MINILASE for semiconductor lasers, and computer-aided design for opto-electronic devices in the submicrometer range of feature sizes. The group has also a significant research component in molecular dynamics for first principle simulation of atomic motion and surface reconstruction of semiconductor materials. Recently, research effort has focused on the development of comprehensive self-consistent 3-D modeling of nanostructures, in which quantum effects such as single electron charging effect or Coulomb blockade, influence the electronic properties. The group members make extensive use of physical theory, supercomputing resources, and visualization in their modeling work. As part of the Molecular and Electronic Nanostructures Research Initiative, they maintain strong collaborations with the groups such as Autonomous Materials Systems and Nanoelectronics.
The Computational Electronics group maintains the National Center for Computational Electronics in the Beckman Institute, funded mainly by the National Science Foundation.