Structural,electronic and optical properties of cubic SrTiO3 and KTaO3: Ab initio and GW calculations

We present first-principles VASP calculations of the structural, electronic, vibrational, and optical properties of paraelectric SrTiO₃ and KTaO₃. The ab initio calculations are performed in the framework of density functional theory with different exchange-correlation potentials. Our calculated lattice parameters, elastic constants, and vibrational frequencies are found to be in good agreement with the available experimental values. Then, the bandstructures are calculated with the GW approximation, and the corresponding band gap is used to obtain the optical properties of SrTiO₃ and KTaO₃.     

Ab initio study of structural, electronic and optical properties of Ca1−xSrxS compounds

Full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method (FP-LAPW) within density functional theory has been used to calculate structural, electronic and optical properties of Ca_1−xSr_xS, an alkali earth chalcogenide, with varying compositional parameter x in the range 0<x<1. Whereas the structural properties are discussed in terms of charge transfer between the two cations, calculated electronic band structure and density of states have been analyzed in terms of contribution from the S p, Ca d and Sr d states. Furthermore, we have calculated some optical properties such as real and imaginary parts of dielectric constant, ε(ω), and the calculated results have been discussed in comparison with the existing experimental data and other theoretical calculations.     

First-principles study of the structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the monoclinic BiScO3

The structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the monoclinic BiScO₃ are investigated in the framework of the density functional theory. The calculated structural parameters are in agreement with the experimental values. Moreover, the structural stability of BiScO₃ system has been confirmed by the calculated elastic constants. The band structure, density of states, charge transfers and bond populations are also given. The results indicate that BiScO₃ has a direct band gap of 3.36 eV between the occupied O 2p states and unoccupied Bi 6p states, and its bonding behavior is a combination of covalent and ionic nature. Finally, the absorption spectrum, refractive index, extinction coefficient, reflectivity, energy-loss function and dielectric function of the monoclinic BiScO₃ are calculated. In addition, the variation of the static dielectric constants ε₁(0) as a function of pressure for BiScO₃ is also discussed.     

First principles study of electronic and optical properties of InAs

The electronic and optical properties of InAs in core-level spectra are calculated using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbitials (FP-LAPW +lo) method. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function ε(ω), the optical absorption coefficient I(ω), the reflectivity R(ω), the refractive index n(ω), and the extinction coefficient k(ω)are calculated. All these values are in good agreement with the experimental data. The effect of spin-orbit coupling on optical properties is also investigated and found to be quite small.      

Density functional investigation of structural, electronic and optical properties of Ge-doped ZnO

Recent experiments reported fascinating phenomenon of photoluminescence (PL) blueshift in Ge-doped ZnO. To understand it, we examined the structural, electronic and optical properties of Ge-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ge) systematically by means of density functional theory calculations. Our results show that Ge atoms tend to cluster in heavily doped ZnO. Ge clusters can limit the conductivity of doped ZnO but reinforce the near-band-edge emission. The substitutional Ge for Zn leads to Fermi level pinning in the conduction band, which indicates Ge-doped ZnO is of n-type conductivity character. It is found that the delocalized Ge 4s states hybridize with conduction band bottom, and is dominant in the region near the Fermi level, suggesting that Ge-4s states provides major free carriers in ZnO:Ge crystal. The observed blueshift of PL in Ge-doped ZnO originates from the electron transition energy from the valence band to the empty levels above Fermi level larger than the gap of undoped ZnO. The electron transition between the gap states induced by oxygen vacancy and conduction band minimum may be the origin of the new PL peak at 590 nm.     

Structural,electronic, and optical properties of ZnO:ZnSnN2 compounds for optoelectronics and photocatalyst applications

Semiconductors with suitable band gap are highly desirable for the applications in optoelectronic and energy conversion devices. In this work, using the recently developed strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) density functional calculations in conjunction with hybrid functional, we investigate the structural, electronic, and optical properties of earth abundant element based ZnO:ZnSnN₂ compounds formed through alloying. The proposed ZnO:ZnSnN₂ compounds in the low energy configurations possess band gaps of 2.28 eV-2.52 eV. The decrease in band gap compared to ZnO is mainly attributed to the p-d repulsion between N 2p+O 2p and Zn 3d electrons that lifts the top of valence band. For the ZnO:ZnSnN₂ compounds studied the band edges straddle the water redox potentials and the absorption onsets lie in the visible light range. Our studies are helpful for ZnO:ZnSnN₂ compounds' experimental synthesis and future application in optoelectronics and photocatalyst.     

闪锌矿结构AlN、AlP、AlAs和AlSb电子结构和光学性质的第一性原理研究

本文采用基于密度泛函理论下的第一性原理平面波赝势从头算量子力学方法,对闪锌矿结构AlN、AlP、AlAs和AlSb的电子结构和光学性质进行了研究。分析比较了这些化合物的能带结构、态密度、介电函数及折射率等性质,总结Al与不同Ⅴ族元素形成化合物时的性质变化规律。结果表明,四种材料有着相似的能带结构,都是间接带隙宽禁带半导体,但是在导带底AlN的能态结构与其它三种材料明显不同。随着从AlN到AlSb的变化,光学性质曲线发生红移。     

Structural,electronic and optical properties of Ca3Bi2: First-principles investigation

In this work by applying first principles calculations structural, electronic and optical properties of Ca₃Bi₂ compound in hexagonal and cubic phases are studied within the framework of the density functional theory using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) approach. According to our study band gap for Ca₃Bi₂ in hexagonal phase are 0.47, 0.96 and 1?eV within the PBE-GGA, EV-GGA and mBJ-GGA, respectively. The corresponding values for cubic phase are 1.24, 2.08 and 2.14?eV, respectively. The effects of hydrostatic pressure on the behavior of the electronic properties such as band gap, valence bandwidths and anti-symmetry gap are investigated. It is found that the hydrostatic pressure increases the band widths of all bands below the Fermi energy while it decreases the band gap and the anti-symmetry gap. In our calculations, the dielectric tensor is derived within the random phase approximation (RPA). The first absorption peak in imaginary part of dielectric function for both phases is located in the energy range 2.0–2.5?eV which are beneficial to practical applications in optoelectronic devices in the visible spectral range. For instance, hexagonal phase of Ca₃Bi₂ with a band gap around 1?eV can be applied for photovoltaic application and cubic phase with a band gap of 2?eV can be used for water splitting application. Moreover, we found the optical spectra of hexagonal phase are anisotropic along E||x and E||z.     

Ab initio study of electronic and magnetic properties of the Fe3Zn intermetallic

First-principles calculations have been carried out to study the electronic structure and magnetic properties of the Fe₃Zn compound with the full-potential linearized augmented-plane wave (FLAPW) method. The results indicate a lower magnetostriction for Fe₃Zn as compared to Galfenol (Fe-Ga), as a result of a weaker spin-orbit coupling, which is due to a smaller magnetic moment induced on the Zn atom. With the Zn addition to Fe the bulk modulus and the cohesive energy (per atom) decrease, whereas the electronic specific heat coefficient γ has a substantial increase.     

First-principles study on the structural,electronic and optical properties of BiOX (X=Cl,Br, I) crystals

In order to investigate systematically the structural, electronic and optical properties of bismuth oxyhalides BiOX (X=Cl, Br, I) semiconductors, the lattice constants, structural characteristics, band structures, densities of states, atomic charge populations and optical properties of BiOX crystals have been calculated using first-principles based on DFT. The calculated indirect band gaps of BiOCl, BiOBr and BiOI crystals are 2.50, 2.10 and 1.59 eV, respectively. The analysis of densities of states and atomic charge populations for BiOX crystals indicates that, (a) the valance band maximum is mainly contributed to O 2p and X np states and the Bi 6p states dominate the conduction band minimum; (b) the contribution of X ns states obviously increases with the increase of X atomic numbers, and the dispersive energy level becomes more and more significant and (c) the sequence of covalent bonding strength between atoms is Bi–O >Bi–I>Bi–Br>Bi–Cl. In addition, the calculated absorption edges of the absorption coefficients I(ω) for BiOCl, BiOBr and BiOI crystals are 355, 448 and 645 nm, respectively, which agree well with our experimental measurements of 376, 442 and 628 nm and the previous reported results of 370, 440 and 670 nm.     

Ab-initio calculations of electronic structure and optical properties of TiAl alloy

The electronic structures and optical properties of TiAl intermetallic alloy system are studied by the first-principle orthogonalized linear combination of atomic orbitals method. Results on the band structure, total and partial density of states, localization index, effective atomic charges, and optical conductivity are presented and discussed in detail. Total density of states spectra reveal that (near the Fermi level) the majority of the contribution is from Ti-3d states. The effective charge calculations show an average charge transfer of 0.52 electrons from Ti to Al in primitive cell calculations of TiAl alloy. On the other hand, calculations using supercell approach reveal an average charge transfer of 0.48 electrons from Ti to Al. The localization index calculations, of primitive cell as well as of supercell, show the presence of relatively localized states even above the Fermi level for this alloy. The calculated optical conductivity spectra of TiAl alloy are rich in structures, showing the highest peak at 5.73 eV for supercell calculations. Calculations of the imaginary part of the linear dielectric function show a prominent peak at 5.71 eV and a plateau in the range 1.1-3.5 eV.     

高压下LiNbO3晶体电子结构与光学性质的第一性原理研究

利用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理超软赝势平面方法研究了外界压强对LiNbO3晶体波态密度,能带结构,电荷密度以及光学性质的影响.能带结构计算表明,价带顶主要由O-2p和Nb-4d态电子贡献,导带底主要由Nb-4d态电子贡献,且带隙随着压强的增加而线性增大.利用复介电函数计算了LiNbO3晶体在不同压强下光学性质的折射率、反射率、吸收系数,能量损失函数以及光电导率. 研究发现：外界压强大于10Gpa时,静态折射率保持不变,随外界压强的增加,反射率、吸收函数以及光电导率区间有一定程度的拓宽,损失函数峰发生“蓝移”.研究表明,高压可以有效调控LiNbO3晶体的电子结构和光学性质,为LiNbO3晶体的高压应用提供了有益的理论依据.     

高压下LiNbO_3晶体电子结构与光学性质的第一性原理研究

利用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理超软赝势平面方法研究了外界压强对LiNbO_3晶体态密度,能带结构,电荷密度以及光学性质的影响.能带结构计算表明,价带顶主要由O-2p和Nb-4d态电子贡献,导带底主要由Nb-4d态电子贡献,且带隙随着压强的增加而线性增大.利用复介电函数计算了LiNbO_3晶体在不同压强下光学性质的折射率、反射率、吸收函数,能量损失函数以及光电导率.研究发现:外界压强大于10GPa时,静态折射率保持不变,随外界压强的增加,反射率、吸收函数以及光电导率区间有一定程度的拓宽,损失函数峰发生"蓝移".研究表明,外界高压可以有效调控LiNbO_3晶体的电子结构和光学性质,为LiNbO_3晶体的高压应用提供了有益的理论依据.     

太阳能材料CuInS2的晶体结构、电子和光学特性

用全电势线性缀加平面波法加局域轨道方法调查了黄铜矿半导体CuInS2的结构、电子和光学特性。我们计算的带隙0.17 eV是直接的,其它实验和理论也表明这种材料有一个直接带隙。在 In 4d和S 3p轨道之间有相当强的杂化,构成了(InS2)4-阴离子。我们计算的反射率光谱,介电函数的实部和虚部,消光系数和折射率和实验结果取得了很好的一致。     

Ab initio calculation of structural, electronic and phonon properties of ZrRu and ZrZn in B2 phase

The structural, electronic and dynamic properties of cesium chloride, ZrRu and ZrZn were studied by employing an ab initio pseudopotential method and a linear response scheme, within the generalized gradient approximation. The calculated lattice constant, bulk modulus and first-order pressure derivative of the bulk modulus were reported in B2 structure and compared with available experimental and other theoretical results. The electronic band structure, partial and total density of states were determined by using the Quantum-Espresso ab initio simulation package based on pseudopotential method. Phonon dispersion curves and density of states were calculated by employing a density functional perturbation theory.     

Effects of aluminum vacancies on electronic structure and optical properties of Ta4AlC3: A first principles study

We investigated the effect of aluminum vacancies (V_Al) on the structural, electronic and optical properties of Ta₄Al_1−xC₃ (x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75) based on the first-principle calculation using density functional theory. We found that the lattice constant a remains almost unchanged with the variation of V_Al concentration, while c and c/a ratio decrease with increasing V_Al concentration. Moreover V_Al induced local distortions have significant influence on the electronic and optical properties of Ta₄AlC₃, especially beyond the critical V_Al concentration (x=0.5). On the other hand, the presence of V_Al can improve the dielectric properties of Ta₄AlC₃. From the optical properties analysis, we predicted that Ta₄Al_1−xC₃ is not suitable as a coating material to avoid solar heating.     

Ab initio study of structural, electronic and optical properties of MnHg(SCN)4 and FeHg(SCN)4

 The structural, electronic and optical properties of MnHg(SCN)₄ and FeHg(SCN)₄ were studied by means of quantum-mechanical calculations based on the density-functional theory and pseudopotential method. The lattice constants can be compared with the experimental values when the effects of temperature are considered. The peaks of partial density of states of S, C, N and Hg of FeHg(SCN)₄ have a tendency of shifting to the higher energy levels relative to those of MnHg(SCN)₄. The distributions of the 3d electronic states in the transition metal atoms show quite large difference and decide different optical properties. We found that absorptional peaks of FeHg(SCN)₄ lag behind those of MnHg(SCN)₄ and the peak in the infrared range has a higher absorptional intensity, which are in accord with the experimental results. By analyzing the distributions and transitions of the 3d electronic states, we explained the different absorption phenomena.     

Ab initio study of S dynamics on iron surfaces

Density functional theory was employed to examine the interactions of atomic sulfur with the Fe(1 0 0) and Fe(1 1 0) surfaces. Vibrational frequency calculations were performed to determine the nature of stationary points at the high symmetry atop, bridge and hollow adsorption sites and to indicate the direction the adsorbate would move across the surface. The values were also used in the determination of the rate constant for hopping of S from one energy minimum site to another. Ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were then performed to monitor the mobility of the S atom on the (1 0 0) surface at different temperatures up to the melting point of Fe (1808 K) and were compared to our previously obtained ab initio MD results for S/Fe(1 1 0) [N. Todorova, M.J.S. Spencer, I. Yarovsky, Australian Institute of Physics 16th Biennial Congress, 2005, Canberra, Australia, ISBN 0-9598064-8-2].     

Ab initio calculations of structural, electronic and dynamical properties of BeSe(1 1 0) surface

We use an ab initio pseudopotential method within the local-density approximation to determine the structural and electronic properties of the BeSe(1 1 0) surface. The relaxed geometry of this surface shows tilted cation-anion chains, with the anions being raised. The general pattern of the electronic structure of this surface is similar to that on other II-VI(1 1 0) surfaces. The phonon spectrum and corresponding surface density of states are also calculated using a linear response approach based on the density functional perturbation theory. In our calculations, we have found two localized phonon modes in the acoustic-optical gap region. The atomic displacement patterns of these surface phonon modes are presented and discussed.