Enhanced dielectric properties and band gap expansion in NiO submicron powders via substitutional be doping

The fundamental tradeoff has made it difficult to enhance the low permittivity of wide bandgap semiconductors without sacrificing the bandgap. In this work we demonstrate that high-concentration substitutional Be doping can enhance NiO’s dielectric properties and simultaneously widen the bandgap. Up to 5 at% of Ni in NiO could be substituted by Be while maintaining the rocksalt crystalline structure. The real part of permittivity at low frequencies was found to be significantly increases (40%) while bandgap also increases from 3.06 to 3.37. These findings offer engineering insights for developing high-K wide bandgap materials, essential for various electronic and optoelectronic applications.