Electronic properties of semiconductor alloy systems

Semiconductor alloys provide a natural means of tuning the magnitude of the forbidden gap and other material parameters so as to optimise and widen the application of semiconductor devices. With the advent of small-structure systems, such as quantum wells and superlattices, the effects of alloy composition, size, device geometry, doping and controlled lattice strain can be combined to achieve maximum tunability. The concepts and ideas peculiar to the description and modelling of semiconductor alloy systems are reviewed with a view to providing a link between electronic structure and optical and transport properties.