Desktop GUI
Launch the application in the environment where Aestimo is installed:
aestimo-gui
On Windows, aestimo-gui-win starts the same application without a separate
console window. Both launchers require Tk and a graphical desktop.
Start from a project
Use Example Presets in the left sidebar to load a bundled configuration, or Load Project to open a saved JSON project. Loading a project sets the layer table, physics settings and solver controls together. The initial window loads the GaAs Tobin preset when that file is available; select the example you intend to study before running it.
Use Save Project to save your configuration under a new name before editing it. This saves settings, not the material database or a complete results archive. The name of the saved JSON file becomes the project name used for subsequent outputs. See Your first calculation for a guided start.
Tabs and controls
Tab |
What to review |
|---|---|
Structure |
Layer order, thickness, material, alloy composition, doping and well/barrier role. The layer diagram and inspector help check the stack along the growth direction. |
Physics & Environment |
Temperature, applied field, boundary values, bias sweep, device mode and reference/comparison settings. |
Solver & Grid |
Solver Model, Grid Step, Max Grid Points, Material System, subband counts and optional quantum controls. |
Plotting & Results |
Figures, available device metrics and the Simulation Run selector. |
Console |
Calculation messages, warnings and errors; use Copy All or Save Log… to retain them. |
Database |
Material/alloy properties and separate database save/load controls. |
In Structure, + Add Layer adds a layer, + Substrate/Buffer inserts a buffer-style layer, and Browse Materials opens the material browser. Clear All removes the current layer stack. Review the displayed units: layer thickness is in nm and doping concentration is in cm⁻³.
The GUI’s Applied Electric Field is labelled kV/cm. The Python input’s
Fapplied is in V/m. Do not transfer a number between these fields without
converting units: 1 kV/cm = 100,000 V/m.
Device mode and solver are separate choices
Simulation Device / Mode selects a workflow; Solver Model selects a numerical route within applicable workflows. Keep both selections from the preset for a first calculation.
Workflow |
Typical result |
|---|---|
Generic Diode / LED |
Standard layered-structure calculation and available transport outputs. |
Diode Simulation |
Bias-dependent diode curves and reference comparisons. |
Solar Cell / Photodetector |
Illuminated-device results and solar figures of merit. |
Solar Study |
A sequence of dark, illuminated and temperature calculations. |
LED Simulation / Characterization |
LED characteristics, spectra and available efficiency metrics. |
Laser Diode Simulation / Characterization |
Laser characteristics, threshold and available spectral metrics. |
QW characterization presets |
Confined states, transitions, overlaps and quantum-well comparison plots. |
The QW presets load their dedicated workflow even though that choice is not
listed in the ordinary device dropdown. Project names also select some
specialized comparison suites: keep dingle or miller in a copied benchmark
project’s filename when you intend to retain its corresponding width/field study.
The Enable Advanced QW Solver checkbox and Enable Quantum Corrected DD control different calculations. Their settings should follow the selected workflow and a suitable example; enabling both is not a general accuracy upgrade. Models and materials explains solver restrictions.
Run and inspect
Click Run Simulation. The run button is disabled while a calculation is active; progress and messages appear in the sidebar and Console. Review the completion status before interpreting plots.
Plotting & Results → Simulation Run selects a run from the current session history. Loading a project may also display previously saved results found on disk. A plot appearing immediately after loading does not mean a new calculation was performed. Check the selected run and its project/time information.
The plot toolbar can save a displayed figure. The structure diagram has a separate export action supporting PNG, SVG and PDF. Preserve the project and numerical files with exported figures; a figure alone is not the full record.
Output location
The main GUI workers use <project-name>_output beneath the examples directory.
Solar Study also uses separate working-directory outputs for its dark, light
and temperature runs. Loading a JSON from another directory does not by itself
move the GUI workspace there. Check Console for the actual paths and see
Outputs.
Material database and project files
In Database, Update In-Memory applies edited properties to the running application. Save to File exports the database, Load from File imports one, and Reset Defaults restores the startup values. These are separate from Save Project and Load Project. Retain the database file alongside any project that depends on modified material parameters.
Installed presets and references
Installed resources are copied to ~/Aestimo/examples, or to the workspace
chosen with AESTIMO_WORKSPACE. Existing files are preserved on upgrades; a
user-edited preset is not automatically replaced by a new bundled preset.
A source checkout uses its own examples/ directory.
The comparison section is labelled Experimental Validation in the GUI, but the origin of the loaded reference determines what can be concluded. Read Validation and reference data for the status labels and for the difference between numerical agreement, calibration and measurement.