zincblende

Zincblende, also spelled zinc blende, refers to the cubic crystal structure of zinc sulfide (ZnS). In this structure the zinc and sulfur atoms occupy alternating positions in a face-centered cubic lattice, forming a two-atom basis. Each Zn is tetrahedrally coordinated to four S atoms and each S to four Zn atoms. The lattice constant is about 5.41 angstroms.

Zinc blende is one of the two primary polymorphs of ZnS; the other is hexagonal wurtzite. The cubic zinc blende form is the common structure in synthetic ZnS and in the mineral sphalerite, whereas wurtzite dominates some nanostructures and high-temperature growth conditions.

ZnS in the zinc blende form is a wide-bandgap semiconductor with a bandgap around 3.5 eV at room temperature. This limits its absorption to the ultraviolet range and makes it useful for optoelectronic applications such as phosphors, light-emitting diodes, and UV detectors. Dopants (for example copper or manganese) create luminescent centers for phosphor materials.

Sphalerite, the natural mineral form of ZnS, is the principal source of zinc. In industry, zinc blende ZnS is synthesized for phosphor and optoelectronics uses, often via high-temperature solid-state reactions or epitaxial growth techniques such as chemical vapor deposition or molecular beam epitaxy on suitable substrates.