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In semiconductor devices one basically distinguishes three spatial scales: The atomistic scale of the bulk semiconductor materials (sub-Angstroem), the scale of the interaction zone at the interface between two semiconductor materials together with the scale of the resulting size quantization (nanometer) and the scale of the device itself (micrometer). The paper focuses on the two scale transitions inherent in the hierarchy of scales in the device. We start with the description of the band structure of the bulk material by kp Hamiltonians on the atomistic scale. We describe how the envelope function approximation allows to construct kp Schroedinger operators describing the electronic states at the nanoscale which are closely related to the kp Hamiltonians. Special emphasis is placed on the possible existence of spurious modes in the kp Schroedinger model on the nanoscale which are inherited from anomalous band bending on the atomistic scale. We review results of the mathematical analysis of these multi-band kp Schroedinger operators. Besides of the confirmation of the main facts about the band structure usually taken for granted, key results are conditions on the coefficients of the kp Schroedinger operator for the nanostructure, which exclude spurious modes and an estimate of the size of the band gap. Using these results, we give an overview of properties of the electronic band structure of strained quantum wells. Further, the assumption of flat-band conditions across the nanostructure allows for upscaling of quantum calculations to state equations for semi-classical models. We demonstrate this approach for parameters such as the quantum corrected band-edges, the effective density of states, the optical response, and the optical peak gain. Further, we apply the kp Schroedinger theory to low gap quantum wells, a case where a proper rescaling of the optical matrix element is necessary to avoid spurious modes. Finally, we discuss the application of the kp Schroedinger models to biased quantum wells, the operation mode of electro-optic modulators.
Large-area organic light-emitting diodes are thin-film multilayer devices that show pronounced self-heating and brightness inhomogeneities at high currents. As these high currents are typical for lighting applications, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms causing these inhomogeneities is necessary. We discuss the modeling of the interplay between current flow, self-heating, and heat transfer in such devices using a system of partial differential equations of thermistor type, that is capable of explaining the development of luminance inhomogeneities. The system is based on the heat equation for the temperature coupled to a p(x)-Laplace-type equation for the electrostatic potential with mixed boundary conditions. The p(x)-Laplacian allows to take into account non-Ohmic electrical behavior of the different organic layers. Moreover, we present analytical results on the existence, boundedness, and regularity of solutions to the system. A numerical scheme based on the finite-volume method allows for efficient simulations of device structures.