Er2O3

Erbium oxide · Erbia

Erbium oxide is a stable, insulating rare-earth oxide widely utilized for its specialized optical and dielectric properties in advanced technology.

ErO
Crystal structure of Er2O3 (cubic, Ia-3 (No. 206))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Erbium oxide

Erbium oxide is a thermodynamically stable compound that functions as a wide-band-gap insulator. Its electronic structure makes it a critical material for high-performance optical components and thin-film technology where electrical isolation is required. The material is characterized by its robust chemical stability and is frequently studied for its role in advanced dielectric applications. Due to its well-defined structural properties, it serves as a reliable building block in materials science research. It is particularly valued in photonics and glass manufacturing for its ability to modify the refractive index and optical absorption characteristics of host materials.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Erbium oxide, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

2.88–4.20 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

15
4 databases, 5 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Er2O3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Ia-3 (No. 206)cubic3.960.0000-8.8538.89
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic4.100.0342-8.8199.65
P-3m1 (No. 164)trigonal4.200.0597-8.7939.80
R3m (No. 160)trigonal2.880.1363-8.7178.45
P-3m1 (No. 164)
P-3m1 (No. 164)
R3m (No. 160)
P4mm (No. 99)Tetragonal10.03
P4mm (No. 99)Tetragonal9.22
C2/m (No. 12)
Ia-3 (No. 206)
P-3m1 (No. 164)Trigonal9.52
Uses

Applications

Where Erbium oxide is used.

Optical fiber amplifiersGlass coloringDielectric thin filmsPhosphor materialsCeramic coatings
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Erbium oxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Er2O3?

Erbium oxide is a stable, insulating rare-earth oxide widely utilized for its specialized optical and dielectric properties in advanced technology.

More questions
What is Er2O3 used for?
Erbium oxide (Er2O3) is used in optical fiber amplifiers, glass coloring, dielectric thin films, phosphor materials, and ceramic coatings.
What is the band gap of Er2O3?
Erbium oxide (Er2O3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.88–4.20 eV across 15 reported structures.
Is Er2O3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 4.20 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is Er2O3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Erbium oxide (Er2O3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Er2O3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Erbium oxide (Er2O3) is cubic symmetry, space group Ia-3 (No. 206).
What is the density of Er2O3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Erbium oxide (Er2O3) is 8.89 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Er2O3 are known?
15 structures of Er2O3 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 5 distinct space groups.
What elements does Er2O3 contain?
Erbium oxide (Er2O3) contains Er and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for Er2O3 come from?
Er2O3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, aflow, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a stable rare-earth sesquioxide, this compound represents a fundamental member of the lanthanide oxide family, serving as a benchmark for insulating performance and structural integrity in high-temperature environments.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • aflow — Data from AFLOW. Cite: Curtarolo et al., Comp. Mater. Sci. 58, 218 (2012).
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

Analyze Er2O3 in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 53 integrated data sources.

Explore the Platform →