The tight-binding formulation of the Kronig-Penney model

Electronic band structure calculations are frequently parametrized in tight-binding form; the latter representation is then often used to study electron correlations. In this paper we provide a derivation of the tight-binding model that emerges from the exact solution of a particle bound in a periodic one-dimensional array of square well potentials. We derive the dispersion for such a model, and show that an effective next-nearest-neighbour hopping parameter is required for an accurate description. An electron-hole asymmetry is prevalent except in the extreme tight-binding limit, and emerges through a “next-nearest-neighbour” hopping term in the dispersion. We argue that this does not necessarily imply next-nearest-neighbour tunneling; this assertion is demonstrated by deriving the transition amplitudes for a two-state effective model that describes a double-well potential, which is a simplified precursor to the problem of a periodic array of potential wells. A next-nearest-neighbour tunneling parameter is required for an accurate description even though there are no such neighbours.