Ordered-vacancy-compound semiconductors: Pseudocubic CdIn2Se4

James E. Bernard and Alex Zunger
Phys. Rev. B 37, 6835 – Published 15 April 1988
PDFExport Citation

Abstract

Whereas substitutional adamantine compounds AnB4nC4 (e.g., ABC2 chalcopyrites for n=2, or the AC and BC zinc-blende compounds for n=4 and 0) have four metal atoms around each nonmetal atom and vice versa, ordered-vacancy compounds OVC’s) AB2C4 have but three metal atoms (one A and two B’s) around each nonmetal site (C) while the fourth (unoccupied) site forms an ordered array of vacancies. An example for OVC’s is ‘‘pseudocubic’’ CdIn2Se4 which can be structurally derived from the layered alternate monolayer superlattice of CdSe and InSe (along the [001] direction) by removing half of the Cd atoms from each Cd plane. Such OVC’s form a natural bridge between crystal and impurity physics. Much like the metal vacancy in II-VI compounds (e.g., CdSe), the vacancy in CdIn2Se4 has associated with it (nonmetal) ‘‘dangling bonds’’ and ‘‘lone-pair’’ electrons, which, however, form a dispersed band in the crystal. Using all-electron mixed-basis electronic-structure techniques, we study the properties of such an ordered array of vacancies in CdIn2Se4 vis-a$ga—-vis the experimental data. We find vacancy-induced atomic relaxations (Se moves towards the vacant site), resonant broadening of the lone-pair dangling-bond states into a ≊3-eV band, and that the total charge density around the vacant site has little density and shows scant evidence of dangling bonds. We discuss the nature of the bonding in this system, comparing it to other covalent selenides and to the observed photoemission and optical data. A number of possible order-disorder transitions, including the disordering of cations on the vacant sites, are identified.

  • Received 21 September 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.37.6835

©1988 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

James E. Bernard and Alex Zunger

  • Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, Colorado 80401

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 37, Iss. 12 — 15 April 1988

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review B

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×