Formation mechanism, stability and role of zinc and sulfur vacancies on the electronic properties and optical response of ZnS

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: de Oliveira, P. R. A, Lima, L., Felix, G., Venezuela, P., Stavale, F.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author de Oliveira, P. R. A
Lima, L.
Felix, G.
Venezuela, P.
Stavale, F.
author_facet de Oliveira, P. R. A
Lima, L.
Felix, G.
Venezuela, P.
Stavale, F.
contents Combining experimental and theoretical tools, we report that Zn vacanciesplay an important role in the electronic and optical responses of ZnS sphalerite. The defective surface of ZnS (001) single crystal prepared in ultra-highvacuum conditions, has been shown to exhibit a semiconducting character instead of the insulating properties of the pristine structure, as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Interestingly, this effect is attributed to the formation of zinc vacancies in the ZnS system, which also alter the optical response of the material, as supported by photoluminescence (PL) measurements comparing pristine and S-rich (Zn-poor) ZnS. To address these findings from a theoretical point of view, first principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) were performed. The optical properties of cation-defective ZnS were evaluated using random-phase approximation and hybrid functional DFT calculations. These calculations revealed absorption peaks in the visible range in the defective ZnS rather than solely in the ultra-violet range obtained for defect-free ZnS. The combination of this finding with joint density of states (JDOS) analysis explains the emergence of new luminescence peaks observed in the PL spectra of cation-defective ZnS. These findings highlight the role of Zn vacancies in tuning ZnS optical properties, making it a potential candidate for optoelectronic applications such as LEDs and photodetectors.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_15670
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Formation mechanism, stability and role of zinc and sulfur vacancies on the electronic properties and optical response of ZnS
de Oliveira, P. R. A
Lima, L.
Felix, G.
Venezuela, P.
Stavale, F.
Materials Science
Combining experimental and theoretical tools, we report that Zn vacanciesplay an important role in the electronic and optical responses of ZnS sphalerite. The defective surface of ZnS (001) single crystal prepared in ultra-highvacuum conditions, has been shown to exhibit a semiconducting character instead of the insulating properties of the pristine structure, as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Interestingly, this effect is attributed to the formation of zinc vacancies in the ZnS system, which also alter the optical response of the material, as supported by photoluminescence (PL) measurements comparing pristine and S-rich (Zn-poor) ZnS. To address these findings from a theoretical point of view, first principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) were performed. The optical properties of cation-defective ZnS were evaluated using random-phase approximation and hybrid functional DFT calculations. These calculations revealed absorption peaks in the visible range in the defective ZnS rather than solely in the ultra-violet range obtained for defect-free ZnS. The combination of this finding with joint density of states (JDOS) analysis explains the emergence of new luminescence peaks observed in the PL spectra of cation-defective ZnS. These findings highlight the role of Zn vacancies in tuning ZnS optical properties, making it a potential candidate for optoelectronic applications such as LEDs and photodetectors.
title Formation mechanism, stability and role of zinc and sulfur vacancies on the electronic properties and optical response of ZnS
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.15670