Electronic structure calculations of perovskite-type oxides using the self-consistent-charge extended Hückel tight-binding method

Abstract

Electronic structures of nine cubic perovskite-type oxides ABO₃'s including SrTiO₃, SrZrO₃, SrHfO₃, BaTiO₃, BaZrO₃, BaHfO₃, PbTiO₃, PbZrO₃ and PbHfO₃ were calculated using a band theory based on the self-consistent-charge extended Hückel tight-binding (SCC-XHTB) method incorporating the relativistic effects except for the spin-orbit interaction in order to examine how the electronic structure changes due to the substitution of the A or B site atom. Moreover, calculations were also made for the tetragonal PbTiO₃ to study the electronic structural changes due to the structural change from the cubic phase to the tetragonal one. It is shown that the upper valence band of all the ABO₃'s considered in the present paper consists of the 2p orbital of oxygen mixed with the d valence electrons of the B atom. The shape remains nearly the same in spite of the A or B site substitution. For the conduction band, it is shown that the bottom of which is made up from the ndt _2g band of the B atom for SrTiO₃, SrZrO₃, SrHfO₃, BaTiO₃, BaZrO₃, BaHfO₃ and PbTiO₃, but it originated from the O 2p orbital for PbZrO₃ and PbHfO_3. It is pointed out that the conduction band of the ABO₃ is significantly modifed by the change of the B atom, and that the modification is exceptionally remarkable in the case of the PbBO_3. Accompanying the cubic-to-tetragonal structural change in PbTiO₃, it is found that the charge transfer mainly occurs between the Pb 6p, Ti 3d and O 2p orbitals, and that the resultant charged states make the electronic structure which differs from that of the cubic phase. The differences are observed on the shape of the lower valence band, the width of the upper valence band and the energy gap.

Key Words:

• Electronic structure
• perovskite oxides
• tight-binding method
• self-consistent-charge