Electronic Structure of Diamond, Silicon Carbide, and the Group-III Nitrides

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper describes the trends in the electronic structure of diamond, silicon carbide, the group-Ill nitrides and some related materials. The relationships between the electronic band structures in the zincblende and wurtzite structures are adressed. For SiC, the discussion is extended to other poly types. The trends with ionicity and atomic number are explained. The purpose of this discussion is to help identify the similarities and differences between the various classes of wide bandgap semiconductors. The strain effects on the band structure are discussed and calculated elastic constants are given for SiC, GaN and AlN. Spectroscopie probes of the band structure such as pholoemission and UV-refiectivity are discussed for GaN and SiC. Materials with the formula II-IV-2 are proposed to be an interesting complement to the III-N's. In particular, BeCN2 is a direct gap semiconductor with elastic properties close to those of diamond and may also be useful as a bufferlayer for diamond growth.