Theoretical study on structures of Ga3N, GaN3, Ga3N2 and Ga2N3 clusters

The structures of Ga_3N, GaN_3, Ga_3N_2 and Ga_2N_3 clusters are studied using the full-potential linear-muffin-tin-orbital molecular dynamics (FP-LMTO MD) method. Four structures for Ga_3 N, five structures for GaN_3, nine structures for Ga_3N_2 and nine structures for Ga_2N_3 have been obtained. The most stable structures of these clusters are planar ones. A strong dominance of the N－-N bond over the Ga－-N and Ga－-Ga bonds appears to control the structural skeletons, supporting the previous result obtained by Kandalam and co-workers. The most stable structures of these small GaN clusters displayed semiconductor-like properties through the calculation of the HOMO－LUMO gaps.