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 $C_{V}$ and Debye temperature {$\Th$} at different pressures and different temperatures are also obtained successfully.