Electronic and optical properties of the zinc-blende structured LiZnN under pressure

The electronic and optical properties of the cubic zinc-blende (ZB) structured filled tetrahedral semiconductor α-LiZnN under pressure are investigated by using \textit{ab initio} plane wave pseudopotential density functional theory method within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The electronic band structure and the density of state under pressure are systematically described. The basic optical constants, including the reflection and absorption spectra, the energy-loss function, the complex refractive index and the dielectric function, are calculated and analysed at different external pressures. Our results suggested that the ZB α-LiZnN is transparent in the partially ultra-violet to the visible light region, and it seems that the transparency is hardly affected by the pressure.     

First-principles calculations for electronic, optical and thermodynamic properties of ZnS

The electronic, optical and thermodynamic properties of ZnS in the zinc-blende （ZB） and wurtzite （WZ） structures are investigated by using the plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory （DFT）. The results obtained are consistent with other theoretical results and the available experimental data. When the pressures are above 20.5 and 27 GPa, the ZB-ZnS and the WZ-ZnS are converted into indirect gap semiconductors, respectively. The critical point structure of the frequency-dependent complex dielectric function is investigated and analysed to identify the optical transitions. Moreover, the values of heat capacity Cv and Debye temperature θ at different pressures and different temperatures are also obtained successfully.     

First-principles study of zinc-blende to rocksalt phase transition in BN

The structural, electronic and elastic properties of the cubic boron nitride (BN) compound are investigated by a first-principle pseudopotential method. The calculations show that the structural phase transition from the zinc-blende(ZB) structure to the rocksalt (RS) structure occurs at a transition pressure of 1088 GPa and with a volume reduction of 3.1%. Both the ZB and RS structures of BN have indirect gaps, with energy gaps of 4.80 eV and 2.11 eV, respectively. The positive pressure derivative of the indirect band gap (Γ-X) energy for the the ZB phase and the predicted ultrahigh metallization pressure are attributed to the absence of d occupations in the valence bands. The increase of the shear modulus with increasing pressure implies that the lattice stability becomes higher when BN is compressed.     

First principle study of nitrogen vacancy in aluminium nitride

In the framework of density functional theory, using the plane-wave pseudopotential method, the nitrogen vacancy ($V_{\rm N})$ in both wurtzite and zinc-blende AlN is studied by the supercell approach. The atom configuration, density of states, and formation energies of various charge states are calculated. Two defect states are introduced by the defect, which are a doubly occupied single state above the valance band maximum (VBM) and a singly occupied triple state below the conduction band minimum (CBM) for wurtzite AlN and above the CBM for zinc-blende AlN. So $V_{\rm N}$ acts as a deep donor in wurtzite AlN and a shallow donor in zinc-blende AlN. A thermodynamic transition level $E({3 + } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{3 + } + }} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} + )$ with very low formation energy appears at 0.7 and 0.6eV above the VBM in wurtzite and zinc-blende structure respectively, which may have a wide shift to the low energy side if atoms surrounding the defect are not fully relaxed. Several other transition levels appear in the upper part of the bandgap. The number of these levels decreases with the structure relaxation. However, these levels are unimportant to AlN properties because of their high formation energy.     

First-principles investigations on elastic and thermodynamic properties of zinc-blende structure BeS

In this paper the elastic and thermodynamic properties of the cubic zinc-blende structure BeS at different pressures and temperatures are investigated by using \textit{ab initio} plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The calculated results are in excellent agreement with the available experimental data and other theoretical results. It is found that the zinc-blende structure BeS should be unstable above 60GPa. The thermodynamic properties of the zinc-blende structure BeS are predicted by using the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The pressure-volume-temperature ($P-V-T$) relationship, the variations of the thermal expansion coefficient $\alpha$ and the heat capacity $C_{V}$ with pressure $P$ and temperature $T$, as well as the Gr\"{u}neisen parameter-pressure-temperature ($\gamma -P-T$) relationship are obtained systematically in the ranges of 0--90GPa and 0--2000K.     

Electronic and optical properties of BAs under pressure

The electronic and optical properties of boron arsenide (BAs) in the zinc-blende (ZB) and rock-salt (RS) phases have been studied by the density functional theory (DFT) method based on the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Using the enthalpy-pressure data, the structural phase transition from ZB to RS is observed at 141 GPa. Our calculated electronic properties show that ZB-BAs is a semiconductor, whereas RS-BAs is a semi-metal. Calculations of the dielectric function and absorption coefficient have been performed for the energy range 0-30 eV. The dependence of pressure on band structure and optical spectra is also investigated. The results are compared with available theoretical and experimental data.     

First-principles calculations of structure and high pressure phase transition in gallium nitride

The phase transitions of semiconductor GaN from the Wurtzite (WZ) structure and the zinc-blende (ZB) structure to the rocksalt (RS) structure are investigated by using the first-principles plane-wave pseudopotential density functional method combined with the ultrasoft pseudopotential scheme in the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) correction. It is found that the phase transitions from the WZ structure and the ZB structure to the RS structure occur at pressures of 46.1 GPa and 45.2 GPa, respectively. The lattice parameters, bulk moduli and their pressure derivatives of these structures of GaN are also calculated. Our results are consistent with available experimental and other theoretical results. The dependence of the normalized formula-unit volume $V/V_{0 }$ on pressure $P$ is also successfully obtained.     

First-principles calculations for transition phase and thermodynamic properties of GaAs

The transition phase of GaAs from the zincblende (ZB) structure to the rocksalt (RS) structure is investigated by ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method, and the thermodynamic properties of the ZB and RS structures are obtained through the quasi-harmonic Debye model. It is found that the transition from the ZB structure to the RS structure occurs at the pressure of about 16.3\,GPa, this fact is well consistent with the experimental data and other theoretical results. The dependences of the relative volume V/V₀ on the pressure P, the Debye temperature \Th and specific heat C_V on the pressure P, as well as the specific heat C_V on the temperature T are also obtained successfully.     

First-principles calculations for electronic and optical properties of the zinc-blende structured BeS compound under pressure

The electronic and the optical properties of the cubic zinc-blende (ZB) BeS under high pressure have been investigated by using \it ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method in the generalised gradient approximation (GGA) for exchange-correlation interaction. The electronic band structure and the pressure dependence of the total and partial densities of state under pressure are successfully described. Our calculations show that the ZB BeS has large and indirect band gaps associated with (Γ → X) transitions in ambient conditions. The results obtained are consistent with the experimental data available and other calculations. The optical properties, including dielectric function, energy-loss function, complex refractive index, reflection and absorption spectra, are investigated and analysed at different external pressures. The results suggest that the optical absorption appears mostly in the ultra-violet region and the curve of refractive index shift toward high energies (blue shift) with pressure increasing.     

Electronic structure and thermodynamic properties of LiBC under high pressure

This paper investigates the electronic structure and thermodynamic properties of LiBC in the hexagonal structure by using the generalized gradient approximation （GGA） and local density approximation correction scheme in the frame of density functional theory. The geometric structure of LiBC under zero pressure, and the dependences of the normalized lattice parameters a/ao and c/co, the ratio e/a, the normalized primitive volume V/Vo on pressure are given. The thermodynamic quantity （including the heat capacity Cv, Debye temperature 6~D, thermal expansion a and Grfineisen parameter -y） dependences on temperature and pressure are obtained through the GGA method and the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The band structures and density of state of LiBC under different pressures have also been analysed.     

First-principles predictions on transition from tetrahedron to octahedron,electronic structures and elastic properties of InAs

In this work, the pressure induced phase transition of InAs is investigated by density functional theory. The first-order phase transition of InAs from zinc-blende (ZB) to the rocksalt (RS) structure occurs at 4.9 GPa accompanies by a 26% volume collapse. It is found that the nearest In and As atoms bonded as covalent bond, but there is no strong interaction between the nearest In–In or As–As atoms. Crystal space of ZB structure is occupied by tetrahedrons (4 In–As covalent bonds) partly with many interstice, and crystal space of RS is fulfilled by close-packed octahedrons (6 In–As covalent bonds). With increasing pressure, rebuild of covalent bond due to variations of electronic structure causes phase transition from ZB to RS structure. Furthermore, directional changes of covalent bond along [100] and [110] bring evident variation of shear on the {100} and {110} planes.     

Theoretical investigation of the structural stabilities,elastic properties and band structure characteristics of platinum carbide

Ab initio calculations based on the density functional theory within the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method were carried out to investigate the structural stabilities of the different crystallographic phases, the pressure-induced phase transition and the electronic properties of the platinum carbide (PtC) compound. The zinc-blende (ZB), rock-salt (RS), cesium chloride (CsCl), wurtzite (WZ), nickel arsenide (NiAs), lead monoxide (PbO) and the tungsten carbide (WC) phases were considered. The exchange and correlation potential was treated by the generalized-gradient approximation using the Perde–Burke–Ernzerhof parameterization. The thermodynamic properties such as variation of the bulk modulus, lattice constant, heat capacity, thermal expansion and Debye temperature versus pressures and temperatures are investigated. The band structure results show the metallic character of the PtC compound in all the considered phases and the present study also shows that the PtC compound crystallizes in the ZB phase at ambient conditions. The theoretical transition pressures from the ZB to RS for the NiAs, PbO and CsCl transformations were also computed.     

Theoretical investigation of the elastic,electronic, thermodynamic and optical properties of the zinc-blende structure AlN under high pressure

The elastic, electronic, thermodynamic and optical properties of the zinc-blende structure aluminum nitride (AlN) under high pressure have been investigated using first-principles calculations. The dependencies of the elastic constants, the bulk modulus, the shear modulus and energy gaps on the applied pressure are presented, and the results are in good agreement with comparable experimental and theoretical values. Also, the energy band structure and density of states under high pressure have been analysed. Furthermore, the optical constants, including the dielectric function, optical reflectivity, refractive index and electron energy loss, are discussed for radiation up to 50 eV.     

Ab initio calculation of elastic properties of rock-salt and zinc-blend MgS under pressure

The elastic properties of zinc-blend (ZB) and rock-salt (RS) MgS are calculated by ab initio method. The calculation shows that the enthalpy for RS structure and for ZB structure essentially is the same at ambient pressure. The ZB structure becomes unstable above 5 GPa. For these two structures, the pressure dependences of typical elastic properties, i.e. the bulk modulus, the shear modulus, the Young's modulus, the Poisson's ratio, and the anisotropy factor, are presented. The Debye temperature and sound velocity under high pressure have also been calculated. Debye approximation is used to estimate the zero-point vibrational energy.     

Elastic and thermodynamic properties of alkali hydrides XH (X = K,Rb and Cs)

The calculation of the structural, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of the alkali hydrides XH (X?=?K, Rb and Cs) in rock-salt (RS), cesium chloride (CsCl), zinc-blende (ZB) and wurtzite (WZ) phases are done by using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within the frame work of the density functional theory (DFT) as implemented in the WIEN2K code. The Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA) was used for the exchange-correlation potential.The elastic constants and their related properties, as well as the thermodynamic properties, were obtained by using the IRelast package. The calculated elastic constants for the alkali hydrides, with the four structures RS, CsCl, ZB and WZ, at ambient pressure are mechanically stable. The elastic constants and their related properties in the RS structure are changeable with increasing pressure. Elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus (stiffness) and Debye temperatures of these compounds are decreased as going from K to Cs in the periodic table. These compounds in the RS structure are mechanically stronger at ambient conditions.     

MnTe电子结构和磁性的第一性原理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的赝势投影缀加波方法, 对六种典型的二元晶体结构Rocksalt (RS), Cesiun-chloride (CC), Zinc-blende (ZB), Wurtzite (WZ), Iron-silicide (IS) 和Nickel-Arsenide (NA)的MnTe进行了计算研究. 通过比较六种结构的结合能, 确定了MnTe的基态结构是反铁磁的NA结构. 研究了这六种结构MnTe的电子结构、磁性, 并用Birch-Murnaghan状态方程拟合求得了各相结构的体弹性模量和相变压. 电子态密度表明, RS, CC和IS结构的MnTe为反铁磁导体, ZB, WZ和NA结构的MnTe均为反铁磁半导体.     

The stability and electronic properties of wurtzite and zinc-blende ZnS nanowires

The stability and electronic properties of the pristine wurtzite (WZ) and zinc-blende (ZB) structural ZnS nanowires are investigated and compared by using first-principles approaches. It shows that the WZ-ZnS nanowire is more stable energetically than the ZB-ZnS nanowire. The two kinds of ZnS nanowires have different electronic properties due to both the quantum confinement effect and the surface effect. The band gaps of pristine WZ nanowires become larger than that of the corresponding bulk ZnS, while those of ZB nanowires are smaller. The electronic properties of the hydrogen-passivated WZ-ZnS and ZB-ZnS nanowires are further calculated. The underlying physical reason for their energetic and electronic structures is elucidated.     

Electronic structure engineering of ZnO with the modified Becke–Johnson exchange versus the classical correlation potential approaches

In this study, we report investigations of structural and electronic properties of ZnO in wurtzite (WZ), rock salt (RS) and zinc-blende (ZB) phases. Calculations have been done with full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital method developed within the frame work of Density Functional Theory (DFT). For structural properties investigations, Perdew and Wang proposed local density approximations (LDA) and Perdew et al. proposed generalized gradient approximations (GGA) have been applied. Where for electronic properties in addition to these, Tran–Blaha modified Becke–Johnson (mBJ) potential has been used. Our computed band gap values of ZnO in WZ and ZB phases with mBJ potential are significantly improved compared to those with LDA and GGA; however, in RS phase, energy gap is significantly overestimated compared to experimental measurements. The Zn-d band was found to be more narrower with mBJ potential than that of LDA and GGA. On the other hand, our evaluated crystal field splitting energy values overestimate the experimental values.     

Pressure effect on structural,electronic optical and thermodynamic properties of cubic AlxIn1-xP: a first-principles study

ABSTRACT

First-principles total energy calculations have been performed using the full potential linearised augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2k code based on the density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the Al-doping effects on the structural, electronic and optical properties of Al_xIn_1-xP ternary alloys in the zinc-blende (ZB) phase. Different approximations of exchange-correlations energy were used such as the local density approximation (LDA), the generalised gradient approximation within parameterisation of Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (PBE-GGA), and the Wu-Cohen (WC-GGA). In addition, we have calculated the band structures with high accuracy using the Tran-Blaha modified Becke–Johnson (TB-mBJ) approach. The pressure dependence of the electronic and optical properties of binary AlP, InP compounds and their related ternary alloys Al_xIn_1-xP were also investigated under hydrostatic pressure for (P?=?0.0, 5.0,10.0, 15.0, 20.0, 25.0?GPa), where it is found that InP compound change from direct to indirect band gap for P?≥?9.16?GPa. Furthermore, we have calculated the thermodynamic properties of InP and AlP binary compounds as well as the Al_xIn_1-xP solid solutions, where the quasi-harmonic Debye model has been employed to predict the pressure and temperature dependent Gibbs free energy, heat capacity, Debye temperature and entropy.     

Investigations of phase transition, elastic and thermodynamic properties of GaP by using the density functional theory

The phase transition of gallium phosphide (GaP) from zinc-blende (ZB) to a rocksalt (RS) structure is investigated by the plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory (DFT). Lattice constant a₀, elastic constants c_ij, bulk modulus B₀ and the pressure derivative of bulk modulus B₀' are calculated. The results are in good agreement with numerous experimental and theoretical data. From the usual condition of equal enthalpies, the phase transition from the ZB to the RS structure occurs at 21.9 GPa, which is close to the experimental value of 22.0 GPa. The elastic properties of GaP with the ZB structure in a pressure range from 0 GPa to 21.9 GPa and those of the RS structure in a pressure range of pressures from 21.9 GPa to 40 GPa are obtained. According to the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the phononic effects are considered, the normalized volume V/V₀, the Debye temperature θ, the heat capacity C_v and the thermal expansion coefficient α are also discussed in a pressure range from 0 GPa to 40 GPa and a temperature range from 0 K to 1500 K.