Discovery of earth-abundant nitride semiconductors by computational screening and high-pressure synthesis.

DOI HANDLE PDF Web Site 38 Citations 49 References Open Access

Abstract

Nitride semiconductors are attractive because they can be environmentally benign, comprised of abundant elements and possess favourable electronic properties. However, those currently commercialized are mostly limited to gallium nitride and its alloys, despite the rich composition space of nitrides. Here we report the screening of ternary zinc nitride semiconductors using first-principles calculations of electronic structure, stability and dopability. This approach identifies as-yet-unreported CaZn[2]N[2] that has earth-abundant components, smaller carrier effective masses than gallium nitride and a tunable direct bandgap suited for light emission and harvesting. High-pressure synthesis realizes this phase, verifying the predicted crystal structure and band-edge red photoluminescence. In total, we propose 21 promising systems, including Ca[2]ZnN[2], Ba[2]ZnN[2] and Zn[2]PN[3], which have not been reported as semiconductors previously. Given the variety in bandgaps of the identified compounds, the present study expands the potential suitability of nitride semiconductors for a broader range of electronic, optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.

Journal

Citations (38)*help

See more

References(49)*help

See more

Related Projects

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top