Strain-Induced Piezoelectric Field in a Quantum Dot

Self-assembled wurtzite quantum dots such as In_xGa_1-xN grown on GaN are elastically strained by the lattice mismatch with their barrier, and because wurtzite lacks inversion symmetry, that strain generates a real internal electric field through the piezoelectric effect. This simulator computes the biaxial strain and piezoelectric field from the indium content and dot geometry using alloy-interpolated GaN/InN piezoelectric and elastic constants, then visualizes the resulting quantum-confined Stark effect: the electron and hole wavefunctions are pulled toward opposite faces of the dot by the internal field, reducing their overlap and redshifting the emission energy. Adjust indium fraction, dot height and radius to see how strain sign, magnitude and geometry control the field, the charge separation, and the size of the Stark shift.