Bulk Dirac points in distorted spinels

Abstract

We report on a Dirac-like Fermi surface in three-dimensional bulk materials in a distorted spinel structure on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) as well as tight-binding theory. The four examples we provide in this paper are BiZnSiO4, BiCaSiO4, BiMgSiO4, and BiAlInO4. A necessary characteristic of these structures is that they contain a Bi lattice which forms a hierarchy of chain-like substructures, with consequences for both fundamental understanding and materials design.