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Lattice parameters and densities (measured at 298 K) for the II-VI (12-16) compound semiconductors.
Compound Structure Lattice parameter (Å) Density (g/cm 3 )
ZnS zinc blende a = 5.410 4.075
wurtzite a = 3.822, c = 6.260 4.087
ZnSe Zinc blende a = 5.668 5.27
ZnTe Zinc blende a = 6.10 5.636
CdS wurtzite a = 4.136, c = 6.714 4.82
CdSe wurtzite a = 4.300, c = 7.011 5.81
CdTe Zinc blende a = 6.482 5.87
HgS cinnabar a = 4.149, c = 9.495
Zinc blende a = 5.851 7.73
HgSe Zinc blende a = 6.085 8.25
HgTe Zinc blende a = 6.46 8.07

The zinc chalcogenides all transform to a cesium chloride structure under high pressures, while the cadmium compounds all form rock salt high-pressure phases ( [link] ). Mercury selenide (HgSe) and mercury telluride (HgTe) convert to the mercury sulfide archetype structure, cinnabar, at high pressure.

Unit cell structure of a rock salt lattice. Sodium ions are shown in purple and chloride ions are shown in red.

I-iii-vi 2 (11-13-16) compounds

Nearly all I-III-VI 2 compounds at room temperature adopt the chalcopyrite structure ( [link] ). The cell constants and densities are given in [link] . Although there are few reports of high temperature or high-pressure phases, AgInS 2 has been shown to exist as a high temperature orthorhombic polymorph ( a = 6.954, b = 8.264, and c = 6.683 Å), and AgInTe 2 forms a cubic phase at high pressures.

Unit cell structure of a chalcopyrite lattice. Copper atoms are shown in blue, iron atoms are shown in green and sulfur atoms are shown in yellow. The dashed lines show the unit cell.
Chalcopyrite lattice parameters and densities (measured at 298 K) for the I-III-VI compound semiconductors. Lattice parameters for tetragonal cell.
Compound Lattice parameter a (Å) Lattice parameter c (Å) Density (g.cm 3 )
CuAlS 2 5.32 10.430 3.45
CuAlSe 2 5.61 10.92 4.69
CuAlTe 2 5.96 11.77 5.47
CuGaS 2 5.35 10.46 4.38
CuGaSe 2 5.61 11.00 5.57
CuGaTe 2 6.00 11.93 5.95
CuInS 2 5.52 11.08 4.74
CuInSe 2 5.78 11.55 5.77
CuInTe 2 6.17 12.34 6.10
AgAlS 2 6.30 11.84 6.15
AgGaS 2 5.75 10.29 4.70
AgGaSe 2 5.98 10.88 5.70
AgGaTe 2 6.29 11.95 6.08
AgInS 2 5.82 11.17 4.97
AgInSe 2 6.095 11.69 5.82
AgInTe 2 6.43 12.59 6.96

Of the I-III-VI 2 compounds, the copper indium chalcogenides (CuInE 2 ) are certainly the most studied for their application in solar cells. One of the advantages of the copper indium chalcogenide compounds is the formation of solid solutions (alloys) of the formula CuInE 2-x E' x , where the composition variable (x) varies from 0 to 2. The CuInS 2-x Se x and CuInSe 2-x Te x systems have also been examined, as has the CuGa y In 1-y S 2-x Se x quaternary system. As would be expected from a consideration of the relative ionic radii of the chalcogenides the lattice parameters of the CuInS 2-x Se x alloy should increase with increased selenium content. Vergard's law requires the lattice constant for a linear solution of two semiconductors to vary linearly with composition (e.g., as is observed for Al x Ga 1-x As), however, the variation of the tetragonal lattice constants ( a and c ) with composition for CuInS 2-x S x are best described by the parabolic relationships.

a = 5.532 + 0.0801 x + 0.0260 x 2

c = 11.156 + 0.1204 x + 0.0611 x 2

A similar relationship is observed for the CuInSe 2-x Te x alloys.

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Source:  OpenStax, Physical methods in chemistry and nano science. OpenStax CNX. May 05, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col10699/1.21
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