Elastic properties of diamond and zincblende covalent crystals

In this study, the authors have improved the existing model, in the literature, that relates the average shear modulus with the bond length and Phillips’ ionicity. The authors have derived new models for the average Young’s modulus, shear modulus and Young’s modulus on (111) plane for cubic crystals. The calculations yield results that are found to be in good accord with the available experimental and theoretical data of both elastic moduli and elastic constants. These models also shed some light on the accurate predictions of elastic constants of ternary semiconductor alloys.