BeTe
beryllium telluride
Beryllium telluride is a stable semiconducting material composed of beryllium and tellurium used in advanced materials research.

About beryllium telluride
Beryllium telluride is a binary inorganic compound that exists as a thermodynamically stable phase. As a semiconductor, it occupies a unique position in materials research, characterized by its ability to facilitate specific electronic transitions suitable for advanced optoelectronic applications.
Its structural integrity is well-documented, with a significant body of research across multiple databases confirming its stability. This compound serves as a critical subject for understanding the fundamental physics of beryllium-based semiconductors and their potential integration into high-performance electronic devices.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for beryllium telluride, aggregated across 5 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of BeTe. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for BeTe, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 2.20 | 0.0000 | -0.423 | — |
| — | — | 2.15 | 0.0000 | -0.357 | — |
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 2.02 | 0.0000 | -4.012 | 5.00 |
| — | — | 2.36 | 0.0052 | -0.352 | — |
| P63mc (No. 186) | hexagonal | 2.27 | 0.0058 | -4.006 | 4.98 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.4897 | 0.132 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.4979 | 0.075 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.5114 | 0.154 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.5114 | 0.154 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.7361 | 0.379 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.7573 | 0.400 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 1.1205 | 0.763 | — |
Applications
Where beryllium telluride is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about beryllium telluride, answered from cross-validated data.
What is BeTe?
Beryllium telluride is a stable semiconducting material composed of beryllium and tellurium used in advanced materials research.
What is BeTe used for?
What is the band gap of BeTe?
Is BeTe a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is BeTe thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of BeTe?
How many polymorphs of BeTe are known?
What elements does BeTe contain?
Where does the data for BeTe come from?
How It Compares
As a member of the beryllium chalcogenide group, beryllium telluride represents a specialized semiconductor that bridges the gap between lighter and heavier group-VI elements, offering distinct electronic properties compared to its oxide or sulfide counterparts.
Data sources & attribution
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
- oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
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