Quantum Electro optics 049052

Tutorial 3

Spring 2012

Tutorial 2:
WKB approximation:
Exercise 1:
Lets examine the passage of an electron trough an insulator:

In many devices there is a layer of a semiconductor or a metal attached to a layer of an

insulator (MOS capacitor of example).
The difference between the work function of the semiconductor/metal and the insulator is
denoted by , and is a constant electric field (created by the voltage differences between
two electrodes) which drops mainly on the insulator (there is a limit t the voltage drop on
the semiconductor). EF is the Fermi level, that beneath it all the states are occupied.
We will define the axes like in the figure, so we can see that the potential is a function of x:

V x EF e x
e is the electron charge.
We will calculate the transmission coefficient which is the result of electron tunneling trough
the barrier.

Quantum Electro optics 049052

Tutorial 3

Spring 2012

You have seen in the lecture that the transmission coefficient in the WKB approximation is:

2b

T exp p dx '
a

So we can calculate:

p 2m E V x
In our case V is a function of x:

p 2m EF e x EF 2m e x
We will put this expression in the integral:
e
2 2 2m
2 e

32

'
T exp 2m e x dx exp
e x

3e
0

4 2m
4 2m 3 2
3 2

exp

e e 0 exp
3 e

3 e

And get:

4 2m 3 2

T exp

3 e

This is the famous Fowler Nordheim formula.

Quantum Electro optics 049052

Tutorial 3

Spring 2012

Exercise 2:
We will now calculate the transmission coefficient of a particle with mass m and energy E
trough a potential barrier:

1
V x m 2 x 2
2

0 And we do not have to assume that 1 :

We will start by calculating the expression for semi classical momentum:

p x

2m E m 2 x 2
2

2 Ex02
x
1
x0
E0 x 2

Where we have defined:

x0

E0

Lets see what happens in great distance, meaning x 2 Ex02 E0 . We will expand the term
inside the square root in power series, and keep the first term only:

2 Ex02
x
x
E
1
2
2
2
x0
E0 x
x0 E0 x
For x 0 the wave function in the WKB approximation for x far enough is:

1
x0 p

i
exp

1
x0 p

i
exp

x
E
'

dx
0 x02 E0 x
x

1
x0 p

x0

p x ' dx '

i x '

iE x dx '
'
exp 2 x dx exp

x0 0

E0 0 x

Now we can calculate:

1
x0 p

2 Ex02
x

x0 2 1

x0
E0 x 2

2
2
4

2
Ex
x
0
1

E0 x 2
x0

Quantum Electro optics 049052

Tutorial 3

Spring 2012

And integrate:

iE x
x 2 2 Ex02 4
ix 2
1

exp
2 exp ln

2
E0 x
x0
2 x0
E0 x0
x

x0

iE E0 1 2

ix 2 x
2 Ex02 4
exp
1

2
2

E
x
0
2 x0 x0

iE E0 1 2

ix 2
exp 2
2 x0

2 Ex02
1 can be neglected because this term
E0 x 2

Since we are looking at x the term

appears not in the exponent. This will give us the asymptotic form for the incoming and
outgoing waves:
E 1
E 1
i
i

2
E0 2
E0 2

ix 2
x
ix
x

exp

exp

2 x

2
x0
2 x0 x0
2 x0
x
E 1
x i E0 2
ix 2
t
exp 2
x
2
x
x0
0

Where r and t are the reflection and transmission coefficients.

We can link r and t by using analytical continuation technique. We will take the variable

x x0 to be complex.
x
ei
x0

Now the wave function will take the form:

E

t ei E0
i

1
2

i 2e2i
exp

Quantum Electro optics 049052

Tutorial 3

Spring 2012

According to the figure when and the angle the coefficients must be equal.
Meaning that the incoming wave and outgoing wave must be the same for :
E

r E0
i

1
2

i 2
exp

Equating the expressions:

E 1
i 2 e 2i
i 2
i
E0 2 exp
exp

2
E 1
E 1
i
i 2 e 2i
i 2
i
r t ei E0 2 exp
E0 2 exp

2
E

t ei E0
i

1
2

2 2 i
E 1
i e
i 2
r t exp

i i

2
2
E
2
0

E i
t exp

E0 2

i

E0
E0
2

te
e

ite
r

We know from conservation of the current flux that t r 1 so we can get the
2

expression for t explicit:

t ite
2

Where T t

E 2
E0

T Te

E
E0

so we get:

1
1 e

2 E E0

Notice that is the difference between energy levels if there was no minus sign in the
potential barrier. Also that the more energy the particle has the closer the transmission
coefficient is to 1.