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Analysis of structural, electronic and optical properties of Er-doped rock salt AlN using ab-initio calculations

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Abstract

Context

This investigation includes the structural and optoelectronic characteristics of both pure and Er-doped rock salt aluminium nitride (AlN). Upon introducing Er doping into the AlN host, the calculations reveal a rise in the atomic parameter. Incorporating Er into the system leads to enhancements in the static dielectric coefficient ɛ1(0), static reflectivity R(0), as well as static refractive index n(0), at zero frequency. After doping, the peaks of imaginary dielectric tensor, extinction coefficient and absorption coefficient shift towards lower energy levels. Various exchange correlation potentials are incorporated to compare the results of electronic and optical characteristics.

Methods

We employed the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) approach with WIEN2k code in conjunction with the density functional theory (DFT). To explore the optoelectronic characteristics of both pure as well as doped systems, three distinct exchange correlation potentials are utilized: the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof Generalized Gradient Approximation (PBE-GGA), Modified Becke Johnson Generalized Gradient Approximations (mBJ + GGA) and Hubbard potential (GGA + U).

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Data Availability

Authors declare that the data supporting the findings are available within the article and supplementary information files not available.

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Acknowledgements

The author (Sahil Soni) under supervision of Dharamvir Singh Ahlawat is grateful to the University Grant Commission (India), New Delhi for providing research fellowship JRF/SRF.

Funding

No funding and grant number not available except JRF/SRF to the research scholar provided by the UGC, New Delhi.

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First draft of the manuscript is written by Sahil Soni under the Supervisor  Dharamvir Singh Ahlawat contributed for the preparation of this manuscript for its conception and design and  other author Sadeep Arora and Monika Rani  commented on the earlier versions. All the authors read and approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Dharamvir Singh Ahlawat.

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Soni, S., Ahlawat, D.S., Arora, S. et al. Analysis of structural, electronic and optical properties of Er-doped rock salt AlN using ab-initio calculations. J Mol Model 30, 160 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00894-024-05959-4

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