SiN
SiN has a DFT band gap of Metallic / not reported across 251 reported structures in 29 space groups; its reference structure is tetragonal (P4/nmm (No. 129)). Cross-validated across 3 computational databases.
At a glance
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for SiN, aggregated across 3 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.
Metallic / not reported
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.
0.641 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources
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.
Unstable
2 DFT sources
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
251
3 databases, 29 space groups
Validation
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of SiN. 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.
0.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: low
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
0.531 eV
EAH spread across sources
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
2
jarvis, oqmd
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
—
Crystallography
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for SiN, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.6407 | -0.422 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 1.0410 | -0.022 | — |
| P4/nmm (No. 129) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 1.1718 | 0.128 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 1.3984 | 0.336 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 1.4097 | 0.347 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 1.4307 | 0.368 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 2.1562 | 1.094 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 2.2283 | 1.166 | — |
| P1 (No. 1) | triclinic | — | — | — | 2.81 |
| P1 (No. 1) | triclinic | — | — | — | 3.08 |
| P1 (No. 1) | triclinic | — | — | — | 2.85 |
| P1 (No. 1) | triclinic | — | — | — | 6.84 |
Intellectual Property
Patent Landscape
20 patents reference SiN or close compositional variants.
| Patent | Title | Assignee | Granted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10741386 | Deposition of SiN | — | — |
| 11133181 | Formation of SiN thin films | — | — |
| 10580645 | Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) of SiN using silicon-hydrohalide precursors | — | — |
| 11784043 | Formation of SiN thin films | — | — |
| 10410857 | Formation of SiN thin films | — | — |
| 8999847 | a-Si seasoning effect to improve SiN run-to-run uniformity | — | — |
| 11367613 | Deposition of SiN | — | — |
| 7271110 | High density plasma and bias RF power process to make stable FSG with less free F and SiN with less H to enhan | — | — |
| 12344933 | SiN film embedding method | — | — |
| 11289327 | Si precursors for deposition of SiN at low temperatures | — | — |
Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about SiN, answered from cross-validated data.
What is the band gap of SiN?
The reported DFT structures of SiN show no band gap. Standard DFT often misses gaps (especially in transition-metal oxides), so this is not proof the real material is a metal.
More questions
Is SiN a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT calculations predict no band gap. Standard DFT can miss gaps, so measurements are needed to confirm metallic behavior.
Is SiN thermodynamically stable?
SiN has a lowest energy above hull of 0.641 eV/atom (unstable).
What is the crystal structure of SiN?
The reference structure of SiN is tetragonal symmetry, space group P4/nmm (No. 129).
How many polymorphs of SiN are known?
251 structures of SiN are reported across 3 databases, spanning 29 distinct space groups.
What elements does SiN contain?
SiN contains N and Si (2 elements).
Where does the data for SiN come from?
SiN data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Explore
Related Compounds
Other Silicon Anode Materials in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- 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)
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
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