We present the hole subband structure calculation in single and double p-type delta-doped quantum wells in Si based on the 4 x 4 Luttinger-Kohn Hamiltonian. The valence band bending and the Gamma hole states are calculated within the lines of the Thomas-Fermi-Dirac approximation and the effective mass theory at the Brillouin zone center. The obtained zone center eigenstates are then used to diagonalize the k center dot p Hamiltonian for non-zero k. The hole subband structure is analyzed as a function of the impurity density and the distance between delta wells. It is shown that the application of a 4 x 4 model to describe the hole ground state in single p-type delta-doped in Si can be misleading. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.