Effects of the slab thickness on the crystal and electronic structures of In{sub 2}O{sub 3}(ZnO){sub m} revealed by first-principles calculations
- Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China)
- Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025 (China)
Many conflicting electron microscopy data for In{sub 2}O{sub 3}(ZnO){sub m} indicate that it may have the polymorphous and polytypoid structures. We investigate their stabilities based on four controversial models. The calculated results confirm that the models with the zigzag feature are more stable than the others and it is possible to form different zigzag configurations in the samples as observed in the experiments. The dynamic process of eliminating the dangling bonds and the requirements of maximizing the symmetry and the distances between the In atoms in the slabs can be regarded as the dominant rules to stabilize the system, but the statistical equilibrium processes have the chances to transform it from the ground state structures to the other model structures. The study of the electronic structures based on the plane and zigzag models reveals that their band gaps and effective masses increase monotonically with m. The predicted band gaps are consistent with the experimental results. The anisotropic feature of electron effective mass tensor exhibited in the plane model differs from that of the zigzag one, which is so notable that can be employed to determine which model is more close to the actual structure of a given sample. The calculated results confirm the possibilities of the separation of conduction electrons and defects and the existence of the natural optimized transport channels in the layered structures, which demonstrate its advantage over ZnO to transport electrons and benefit its applications in the optoelectronic devices. - Graphical abstract: The conduction electrons are mainly distributed around the boundaries of the plane or zigzag shape. The optimized transport channels can be formed around the boundaries. - Highlights: • The formation mechanisms for the polytypoid structure of In{sub 2}O{sub 3}(ZnO){sub m} are revealed. • The predicted band gaps are consistent with the experimental results. • The natural optimized transport channels in the layered structures are confirmed.
- OSTI ID:
- 22443536
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Solid State Chemistry, Vol. 222; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0022-4596
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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