Cubic crystal system#Zincblende structure

The zinc blende structure or sphalerite structure describes a crystal structure type in which crystallize a series of poorly polarized ionic compounds. Due to the ionic radii ratios in sphalerite ( sphalerite, zinc sulfide, ZnS) the sulfide anions form a cubic closest packing of spheres in the form of a face-centered cubic unit cell ( Car, fcc ), where the smaller zinc cations regularly in the half (4 ) of the total 8 tetrahedral holes reside.

As the diamond structure, there is the zinc blende structure of a face-centered cubic lattice and the base { (0,0,0 ), (1 /4, 1 /4, 1 /4) }. In contrast to that, in both crystallographic positions occupied by carbon atoms, are here S ions to (0,0,0 ) and Zn ions to (1/ 4, 1/ 4, 1/ 4). Thus, the symmetry is reduced from cubic to cubic hexakisoktaedrisch hexakistetraedrisch. The Tetragyre <100 > is used to Tetragyroide that Trigyroide <111 > is used to Trigyre, a mirror plane ( 100) and a Digyre <110 > disappear. See also the axis of rotation.

In addition to the namesake of sphalerite (ZnS ), nor crystallize some other materials - mainly semiconductors - in this crystal structure. These include I- VII, II-VI and III-V compound semiconductor. The most important representative is probably the gallium arsenide ( GaAs)

In competition with the zinc blende structure is the hexagonal wurtzite structure, crystallize in the other important semiconductors, including GaN. The illustration is an important for the applications comparative overview.