Point defects in semiconductor crystals provide a means for carriers to recombine nonradiatively. This recombination process impacts the performance of devices. We present the Nonrad code that implements the first-principles approach of Alkauskas et al. (2014) [8] for the evaluation of nonradiative capture coefficients based on a quantum-mechanical description of the capture process. An approach for evaluating electron-phonon coupling within the projector augmented wave formalism is presented. We also show that the common procedure of replacing Dirac delta functions with Gaussians can introduce errors into the resulting capture rate, and implement an alternative scheme to properly account for vibrational broadening. Lastly, we assess the accuracy of using an analytic approximation to the Sommerfeld parameter by comparing with direct numerical evaluation.

Program summary

Program Title: Nonrad

CPC Library link to program files: https://doi.org/10.17632/xmfj4zxmn3.1

Developer's repository link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4274317

Code Ocean capsule: https://codeocean.com/capsule/5582062

Licensing provisions: MIT License

Programming language: Python 3

Nature of problem: Nonradiative carrier capture at point defects in semiconductors and insulators significantly impacts the performance of devices. A first-principles approach to calculating nonradiative capture rates is necessary to guide materials design and provide atomistic insight into the nonradiative capture process.

Solution method: Our code, written in the Python language, implements the first-principles methodology developed by Alkauskas et al. (2014) [8]. Nonradiative capture rates are calculated using a one-dimensional approach, which maps the prohibitively large phonon problem onto a single, effective phonon mode. Harmonic phonon matrix elements may then be computed using an analytic technique or by direct numerical integration of the harmonic oscillator wavefunctions. The electron-phonon coupling is evaluated using the VASP code [Kresse and Furthmüller (1996) [27]] to linear order for the effective mode.