First principles study of structural and electronic properties of different phases of boron nitride

A theoretical study of structural and electronic properties of the four phases of BN (zincblende, wurtzite, hexagonal and rhombohedral) is presented. The calculations are done by full potential (linear) augmented plane wave plus local orbitals (APW+lo) method based on the density functional theory (DFT) as employed in WIEN2k code. Using the local density approximation (LDA) and generalized gradient approximation (GGA-PBE) for the exchange correlation energy functional, we have calculated lattice parameters, bulk modulus, its pressure derivative and cohesive energy. In order to calculate electronic band structure, another form of the generalized gradient approximation proposed by Engel and Vosko (GGA-EV) has been employed along with LDA and GGA-PBE. It is found that all the three approximations exhibit similar band structure qualitatively. However, GGA-EV gives energy band gap values closer to the measured data. Our results for structural and electronic properties are compared with the experimental and other theoretical results wherever these are available.     

A first principle study of band structure of III-nitride compounds

The band structure of both phases, zinc-blende and wurtzite, of aluminum nitride, indium nitride and gallium nitride has been studied using computational methods. The study has been done using first principle full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method, within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). For the exchange correlation potential, generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and an alternative form of GGA proposed by Engel and Vosko (GGA-EV) have been used. Results obtained for band structure of these compounds have been compared with experimental results as well as other first principle computations. Our results show a significant improvement over other theoretical work and are closer to the experimental data.     

立方K2CsSb、K3Sb和Cs3Sb阴极材料的电子结构和光学性质

针对K2CsSb光电阴极生长过程中可能存在的K3Sb、K2CsSb和Cs3Sb三种化合物,采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算方法,分别建立这三种锑化物阴极材料的立方结构体模型和(111)表面模型,获得了其电子结构与光学性质.对于体模型,计算得到了能带结构、态密度和光学性质,而对于表面模型,计算得到了功函数、光学性质和表面能.结果表明,三种锑化物阴极在中微子与闪烁体作用辐射能量范围(2.4~3.2eV)内,K2CsSb体材料的吸收系数和反射率与Cs3Sb、K3Sb体材料相近,而K2CsSb(111)表面的吸收系数和反射率低于其他两种阴极的(111)表面.此外,K3Sb的禁带宽度最小、功函数最大且表面能最大,Cs3Sb的表面能最小,其功函数与K2CsSb相近但禁带宽度比K2CsSb小,而K2CsSb禁带宽度最大,功函数和表面能都较小,因此K2CsSb阴极在蓝紫光波段适合作为一种稳定高效的光电发射材料.     

First-principles study of the electronic and optical properties of rutile TiO2

The electronic, structural properties and optical properties of the rutile TiO₂ have been reported using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2K code. We employed the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), which is based on exchange-correlation energy optimization to calculate the total energy. Also we have used the Engel-Vosko GGA formalism, which optimizes the corresponding potential for band structure calculations. Our results including lattice parameter, bulk modulus, density of states, the reflectivity spectra, the refractive index and band gap are compared with the experimental data. We present calculations of the frequency-dependent complex dielectric function ε(ω) and its zero-frequency limit ε₁(0).     

Electronic and optical properties under pressure effect of alkali metal oxides

We report results of first-principles calculations for the electronic and optical properties under pressure effect of Li₂O, Na₂O, Ki₂O and Rb₂O compounds in the cubic antifluorite structure, using a full relativistic version of the full-potential augmented plane-wave plus local orbitals (FP-APW+lo) method based on density functional theory, within the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Moreover, the alternative form of GGA proposed by Engel and Vosko (GGA-EV) is also used for band structure calculations. The calculated equilibrium lattices and bulk moduli are in good agreement with the available data. Band structure, density of states, and pressure coefficients of the fundamental energy gap are given. The critical point structure of the frequency dependent complex dielectric function is also calculated and analyzed to identify the optical transitions. The pressure dependence of the static optical dielectric constant is also investigated.     

First-principles study of the optical properties of PbFX (X = Cl,Br, I) compounds in its matlockite-type structure

We present the results of the ab initio theoretical study of the optical properties for PbFX (X = Cl, Br, I) compounds in its matlockite-type structure using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2K code. We employed generalized gradient approximation (GGA), which is based on exchange-correlation energy optimization to calculate the total energy. Also we have used the Engel-Vosko GGA formalism, which optimizes the corresponding potential for band structure calculations. Our calculations show that the valence band maximum (VBM) and conduction band minimum (CBM) are located at Z resulting in a direct energy gap. We present calculations of the frequency-dependent complex dielectric function ε( ω) and its zero-frequency limit ε₁ ( 0 ). We find that the values of ε₁ ( 0 ) increases with decreasing the energy gap. The reflectivity spectra and absorption coefficient has been calculated and compared with the available experimental data. The optical properties are analyzed and the origin of some of the peaks in the spectra is discussed in terms of the calculated electronic structure.     

Elastic,electronic and thermodynamic properties of fluoro-perovskite KZnF3 via first-principles calculations

The elastic, electronic and thermodynamic properties of fluoro-perovskite KZnF₃ have been calculated using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The exchange-correlation potential is treated with the generalized gradient approximation of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE). Also, we have used the Engel and Vosko GGA formalism (GGA-EV) to improve the electronic band structure calculations. The calculated structural properties are in good agreement with available experimental and theoretical data. The elastic constants C _ij are calculated using the total energy variation with strain technique. The shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio and the Lamé coefficients for polycrystalline KZnF₃ aggregates are estimated in the framework of the Voigt-Reuss-Hill approximations. The ductility behavior of this compound is interpreted via the calculated elastic constants C _ij . Electronic and bonding properties are discussed from the calculations of band structure, density of states and electron charge density. The thermodynamic properties are predicted through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the lattice vibrations are taken into account. The variation of bulk modulus, lattice constant, heat capacities and the Debye temperature with pressure and temperature are successfully obtained.     

Theoretical investigations of half-metallic ferromagnetism in new Half-Heusler YCrSb and YMnSb alloys using first-principle calculations

Structural,electronic,and magnetic properties of new predicted half-Heusler YCrSb and YMnSb compounds within the ordered MgAgAs Clb-type structure are investigated by employing first-principal calculations based on density functional theory.Through the calculated total energies of three possible atomic placements,we find the most stable structures regarding YCrSb and YMnSb materials,where Y,Cr(Mn),and Sb atoms occupy the(0.5,0.5,0.5),(0.25,0.25,0.25),and(0,0,0) positions,respectively.Furthermore,structural properties are explored for the non-magnetic and ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic states and it is found that both materials prefer ferromagnetic states.The electronic band structure shows that YCrSb has a direct band gap of 0.78 eV while YMnSb has an indirect band gap of 0.40 eV in the majority spin channel.Our findings show that YCrSb and YMnSb materials exhibit half-metallic characteristics at their optimized lattice constants of 6.67  and 6.56 ,respectively.The half-metallicities associated with YCrSb and YMnSb are found to be robust under large in-plane strains which make them potential contenders for spintronic applications.     

Structural and electrical transport properties of charge density wave material LaAgSb_2 under high pressure

Layered lanthanum silver antimonide LaAgSb_2 exhibits both charge density wave(CDW) order and Dirac-cone-like band structure at ambient pressure.Here,we systematically investigate the pressure evolution of structural and electronic properties of LaAgSb_2 single crystal.We show that the CDW order is destabilized under compression,as evidenced by the gradual suppression of magnetoresistance.At P_C～22 GPa,synchrotron x-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements reveal a structural modification at room-temperature.Meanwhile,the sign change of the Hall coefficient is observed at 5 K.Our results demonstrate the tunability of CDW order in the pressurized LaAgSb_2 single crystal,which can be helpful for its potential applications in the next-generation devices.     

Tuning electronic properties of the S_2/graphene heterojunction by strains from density functional theory

Based on the density functional calculations, the structural and electronic properties of the WS_2/graphene heterojunction under different strains are investigated. The calculated results show that unlike the free mono-layer WS_2, the monolayer WS_2 in the equilibrium WS_2/graphene heterojunctionis characterized by indirect band gap due to the weak van der Waals interaction. The height of the schottky barrier for the WS_2/graphene heterojunction is 0.13 eV, which is lower than the conventional metal/MoS_2 contact. Moreover, the band properties and height of schottky barrier for WS_2/graphene heterojunction can be tuned by strain. It is found that the height of the schottky barrier can be tuned to be near zero under an in-plane compressive strain, and the band gap of the WS_2 in the heterojunction is turned into a direct band gap from the indirect band gap with the increasing schottky barrier height under an in-plane tensile strain. Our calculation results may provide a potential guidance for designing and fabricating the WS_(2~-)based field effect transistors.     

ZnO原子链的结构稳定性和电子性质的第一性原理研究

本文采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理平面波赝势法,研究了ZnO原子链的结构稳定性和电子性质.结果表明：ZnO分子可以形成直线形结构、梯子形结构以及双梯子形结构等一维链式结构,而之字形链状结构是不能稳定存在的.计算结果也表明：这些稳定存在的一维原子链结构均表现出间接带隙的特征,而之字形结构的原子链却表现出了类似金属的能带特征. 关键词： 原子链 结构稳定性 电子结构 第一性原理计算     

First-principles calculations of the stibnite at the level of modified Becke–Johnson exchange potential

The demand for cheaper, nontoxic and earth-abundant materials as absorbing layer for solar cell is immensely needed to replace scarce, toxic and expensive one. In this regard, chalcogenide materials have considerably attracted the attention of a lot of researchers because of showing a great potential for different applications. Stibnite (Sb₂S₃), a chalcogenide binary material is considerably investigated for exploiting its potential for different energy technologies being a less toxic, abundantly available, stable and efficient, which are the fundamentals for sustainability as well as to realize the dream of green energy. In this study, theoretical calculations of the structural, electronic and optical properties of stibnite (Sb₂S₃) crystal structure are presented using the full potential (FP) linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) framed within density functional theory (DFT). To incorporate the exchange-correlation part in the total energy functional, besides the local density approximation (LDA), Wu-Cohen parameterized generalized gradient approximation (WC-GGA), Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof parameterized generalized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA), and Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation for solids and surfaces (PBEsol-GGA) are used for the calculations of the structural parameters, where the Trans-Blaha approach of the modified Becke–Johnson (TB-mBJ) potential is used to get more reliable results for the fundamental band gap energy value. These calculations are performed by involving spin-orbit coupling (SOC) contribution. Additionally, optical properties, such as imaginary and real parts of the dielectric function, optical conductivity, absorption coefficient, refractive index, reflectivity, and electron energy loss function are analyzed. Our first-principles calculations show that Wu-Cohen GGA (WC-GGA) reproduces results for lattice parameters comparable to the experimental measurements. The obtained results of the band gap energy and optical properties with TB-mBJ potential are also closer to the experimental data and, endorse its potentiality for the photovoltaics applications.     

Structural,elastic, electronic,optical and thermoelectric properties of the Zintl-phase Ae3AlAs3 (Ae = Sr,Ba)

First-principles calculations were performed to investigate the structural, elastic, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of the Zintl-phase Ae₃AlAs₃ (Ae = Sr, Ba) using two complementary approaches based on density functional theory. The pseudopotential plane-wave method was used to explore the structural and elastic properties whereas the full-potential linearised augmented plane wave approach was used to study the structural, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties. The calculated structural parameters are in good consistency with the corresponding measured ones. The single-crystal and polycrystalline elastic constants and related properties were examined in details. The electronic properties, including energy band dispersions, density of states and charge-carrier effective masses, were computed using Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson functional for the exchange-correlation potential. It is found that both studied compounds are direct band gap semiconductors. Frequency-dependence of the linear optical functions were predicted for a wide photon energy range up to 15 eV. Charge carrier concentration and temperature dependences of the basic parameters of the thermoelectric properties were explored using the semi-classical Boltzmann transport model. Our calculations unveil that the studied compounds are characterised by a high thermopower for both carriers, especially the p-type conduction is more favourable.     

Applications of the finite difference mode solution method to photonic crystal structures

The finite difference waveguide mode solution method, which has been popularly employed in the study of waveguide modes on various optical and dielectric waveguides, is utilized to calculate the modal characteristics of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) and planar photonic crystal waveguides and the band diagrams of two-dimensional photonic crystals. Vector guided modes on both PCFs based on the total internal reflection guiding mechanism ('holey fibers') and those resulting from photonic band gap effect are accurately computed, with their effective indexes and field distributions compared with other methods. Calculated dispersion of a single-core holey fiber and coupled-power behavior of a two-core holey fiber are found to agree with measured results. For applications to band diagram calculation and planar photonic crystal waveguide analysis, the finite difference scheme is modified simply by imposing suitable periodic boundary condition. Numerical results for air-column crystals and dielectric-rod crystals are both found to agree well with calculations using other methods.     

Theoretical investigation of sulfur defects on structural,electronic,and elastic properties of ZnSe semiconductor

The structural, electronic, and elastic properties of Zn Se1-xSx for the zinc blende structures have been studied by using the density functional theory. The calculations were performed using the plane wave pseudopotential method, as implemented in Quantum ESPRESSO. The exchange-correlation potential is treated with the local density approximation pz-LDA for these properties. Moreover, LDA+U approximation is employed to treat the "d" orbital electrons properly. A comparative study of the band gap calculated within both LDA and LDA+U schemes is presented. The analysis of results show considerable improvement in the calculation of band gap. The inclusion of compositional disorder increases the values of all elastic constants. In this study, it is found that elastic constants C11, C12, and C44 are mainly influenced by the compositional disorder. The obtained results are in good agreement with literature.     

Local-field corrections to the static dielectric function of semiconductors: A model study

We present results for the macroscopic static dielectric function at small wave vector q for semiconductors, including the local-field corrections (LFCs). We have used the Penn model for our study. Our calculations demonstrate that LFCs depend on the parameters characterizing a semiconductor. Our calculations are in agreement with the calculations based on more detailed band structures.     

锯齿型单壁碳纳米管能隙的第一性原理研究

本文采用基于广义梯度近似(GGA)的第一性原理方法,对锯齿型单壁碳纳米管(7,0)、(8,0)、(9,0)、(12,0)的能带结构和能隙进行理论计算.结果表明,各孤立管能隙值跟紧束缚(TB)近似所推出的结论有很大的出入,但跟实验观测结果比较接近.本文对引起这一差异的原因做了初步探讨.     

Strain-induced structural and direct-to-indirect band gap transition in ZnO nanotubes

First-principles calculations have been employed to investigate the structural transformation and direct to indirect band gap transition of ZnO nanotubes under uniaxial strain. The results show that armchair and zigzag nanotubes can be transformed to each other via unusual fourfold-coordinated structures under the applied strain. Both the armchair and zigzag nanotubes exhibit direct band gap while the unusual fourfold-coordinated ones display indirect band gap. The origin of such a direct-to-indirect band gap transition is explained based on the analyses of atomic orbital contributions.     

Energy gaps,charge distribution and optical properties of AlxIn1−xSb ternary alloys

The electronic and optical properties of Al_xIn_1−xSb ternary alloys have been investigated using a pseudopotential approach within the virtual crystal approximation. The effect of alloy disorder on the studied properties has been examined and found to be weak. The extent of the direct-to-indirect band gap transition is found to occur at x = 0.73. Our results agree well with those reported in the literature. Trends in bonding and ionicity are discussed by means of the electron charge distribution. The present study may be a useful information for mid-infrared inter band cascade lasers applications and other antimonide device structures.