Composition-Dependent Phonon and Thermodynamic Characteristics of C-Based XxY1−xC (X, Y≡ Si, Ge, Sn) Alloys

Novel zinc-blende (zb) group-IV binary XC and ternary XxY1−xC alloys (X, Y ≡ Si, Ge, and Sn) have recently gained scientific and technological interest as promising alternatives to silicon for high-temperature, high-power optoelectronics, gas sensing and photovoltaic applications. Despite numerous efforts made to simulate the structural, electronic, and dynamical properties of binary materials, no vibrational and/or thermodynamic studies exist for the ternary alloys. By adopting a realistic rigid-ion-model (RIM), we have reported methodical calculations to comprehend the lattice dynamics and thermodynamic traits of both binary and ternary compounds. With appropriate interatomic force constants (IFCs) of XC at ambient pressure, the study of phonon dispersions offered positive values of acoustic modes in the entire Brillouin zone (BZ)—implying their structural stability. For XxY1−xC, we have used Green’s function (GF) theory in the virtual crystal approximation to calculate composition x, dependent and one phonon density of states . With no additional IFCs, the RIM GF approach has provided complete in the crystallographic directions for both optical and acoustical phonon branches. In quasi-harmonic approximation, the theory predicted thermodynamic characteristics (e.g., Debye temperature ΘD(T) and specific heat Cv(T)) for XxY1−xC alloys. Unlike SiC, the GeC, SnC and GexSn1−xC materials have exhibited weak IFCs with low [high] values of ΘD(T) [Cv(T)]. We feel that the latter materials may not be suitable as fuel-cladding layers in nuclear reactors and high-temperature applications. However, the XC and XxY1−xC can still be used to design multi-quantum well or superlattice-based micro-/nano devices for different strategic and civilian application needs.