Original Research
First-Principles Calculations of Structural, Lattice Dynamical, and Thermodynamic Properties of
4H-SiC
You Yu
1
Lijuan Tang
1
Caihong Liu
1
Shuhao Huang
1
Yanhong Shen
1
Yong Song
2
Zhiqiang Du
3
Ling Sun
1
Tixian Zeng
1

1 Information Materials and Device Applications Key Laboratory of Sichuan Provincial Universities, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China;

2 Institute of Applied Physics, Aba Teachers College, Aba 623002, China;

3 Sichuan CSG Energy Saving Glass Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610299, China

* Correspondence: zengtx@cuit.edu.cn


Journal of Ovonic Research 2026, 22(1),105-118; https://doi.org/10.67229/JOR16609
Submitted:Nov 22, 2025
Accepted:Jan 27, 2026
Published:Aug 17, 2026
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Cite This Article
You Yu ,Lijuan Tang ,Caihong Liu ,Shuhao Huang ,Yanhong Shen ,Yong Song ,Zhiqiang Du ,Ling Sun ,Tixian Zeng . (2026). Journal of Ovonic Research. First-Principles Calculations of Structural, Lattice Dynamical, and Thermodynamic Properties of<br> 4H-SiC, 22(1), ,105-118. https://doi.org/10.67229/JOR16609
Abstract

This study systematically investigates the structural, lattice dynamical, and thermodynamic properties of 4H-SiC using density functional theory (DFT), density functional perturbation theory (DFPT), and Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) frameworks. Using DFPT, we obtain the phonon frequencies and the phonon dispersion curves, as well as corresponding density of states. Quasi-harmonic approach was employed to analyze the thermodynamic parameters of 4H-SiC. The results reveal that the dynamically stable phonon spectrum provides a foundation for probing thermal transport mechanisms at high temperatures. BTE calculations demonstrate that the temperature-dependent lattice thermal conductivity originates from enhanced Umklapp scattering, with the nonlinear increase in the Grüneisen parameter quantitatively validated through relaxation-time approximations. The exceptional thermal stability is associated with its high thermal conductivity and the saturating behavior of the Grüneisen parameter at high temperatures, which suggests a suppression of strong anharmonic scattering. Correspondingly, the saturation of the thermal expansion coefficient at high temperatures is attributed to the weakened volume dependence of phonon frequencies. This work establishes an integrated first-principles workflow that provides a comprehensive self-consistent dataset across structural, lattice dynamical, and thermodynamic properties, offering theoretical guidance for optimizing 4H-SiC performance in extreme-environment applications.

©2026 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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