Combined experimental and theoretical assessments of the lattice dynamics and optoelectronics of TaON and Ta3N5

Presented herein is a detailed discussion of the properties of the lattice dynamic and optoelectronic properties of tantalum(V) oxynitride (TaON) and tantalum(V) nitride (Ta3N5), from experimental and theoretical standpoint. The active Raman and infra red (IR) frequencies of TaON and Ta3N5 were measured using confocal Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopies (FTIR) and calculated using the linear response method within the density functional perturbation theory (DFPT). The detailed study leads to an exhaustive description of the spectra, including the symmetry of the vibrational modes. Electronic structures of these materials were computed using DFT within the range-separated hybrid HSE06 exchange–correlation formalism. Electronic and ionic contributions to the dielectric constant tensors of these materials were obtained from DFPT within the linear response method using the PBE functional. Furthermore, effective mass of photogenerated holes and electrons at the band edges of these compounds were computed from the electronic band structure obtained at the DFT/HSE06 level of theory. The results suggest that anisotropic nature in TaON and Ta3N5 is present in terms of dielectric constant and effective masses.