ABSTRACT
Dilute bismide alloys are III–V semiconductor alloys containing small fractions of substitutional bismuth (Bi) atoms. The theoretical modeling of dilute bismide alloys is significantly complicated by the impurity-like behavior of the Bi atoms in the alloy, and the resultant strong perturbation of the electronic structure of the host matrix semiconductor. The chapter discusses some of the general properties of dilute bismide alloys, the understanding of which has been strongly informed by theoretical interpretations of experimental measurements. It outlines the theoretical model developed to study the electronic and optical properties of dilute bismide quantum wells lasers. The chapter concludes that dilute bismide alloys are a rich and rapidly growing area of semiconductor research in which there remain a range of materials physics and device engineering challenges that must be overcome in order to realize the significant potential of the new class of III–V semiconductor materials for practical applications.
