Self-Consistent Hybrid Functional Calculations: Implications for Structural, Electronic, and Optical Properties of Oxide Semiconductors

Abstract The development of new exchange-correlation functionals within density functional theory means that increasingly accurate information is accessible at moderate computational cost. Recently, a newly developed self-consistent hybrid functional has been proposed (Skone et al., Phys. Rev. B 89:195112, 2014), which allows for a reliable and accurate calculation of material properties using a fully ab initio procedure. Here, we apply this new functional to wurtzite ZnO, rutile SnO 2 , and rocksalt MgO. We present calculated structural, electronic, and optical properties, which we compare to results obtained with the PBE and PBE0 functionals. For all semiconductors considered here, the self-consistent hybrid approach gives improved agreement with experimental structural data relative to the PBE0 hybrid functional for a moderate increase in computational cost, while avoiding the empiricism common to conventional hybrid functionals. The electronic properties are improved for ZnO and MgO, whereas for SnO 2 the PBE0 hybrid functional gives the best agreement with experimental data. PACS Codes: 71.15.Mb, 71.20.Nr, 78.20.Bh