Transport in semiconductors at saturated velocities (Q2493649)

The authors consider the system \[ \left\{\begin{aligned} & \frac{\partial^2 \Phi}{\partial x^2} =n-C,\\ & \frac{\partial n}{\partial t} +\frac{\partial }{\partial x}\left(n \text{ sign}\frac{\partial \Phi}{\partial x}\right) =0\end{aligned}\right.\tag{1} \] on \(0<x<1\), which can be interpreted as a for the one dimensional flow of electrons of density \(n\) in a semiconductor crystal with built-in positively charged background ions of density \(C\) under a self-consistent electric field with potential \(\Phi\). The problem is the interpretation of the transport equation as the drift velocity is in general discontinuous. The authors consider drift-diffusion regularization of the transport equation: \[ \frac{\partial n}{\partial t} =\frac{\partial }{\partial x}\left(\varepsilon \frac{\partial n}{\partial x} -n v\left(\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\frac{\partial \Phi}{\partial x}\right)\right),\tag{2} \] where \(v\) is scalar function with \(v'(s)>0\) and \(v(s)\to \pm 1\) as \(s\to \pm \infty\). The authors show that the solutions to (2) converge to a solution of (suitably re-written) equation (1). The paper is concluded by evaluating numerically solution of some typical problems of the form (1).