Relative Permittivity of Common Semiconductors

The relative permittivity, often referred to as the dielectric constant, of a material is a measure of how easily it can be polarized by an electric field. Semiconductors typically have a relatively low permittivity compared to insulators but higher than conductors.

The following table provides a comprehensive list of relative permittivity values for different semiconductors, taken at room temperature (approximately 20°C or 68°F).

Relative Permittivity of Semiconductors
Crystal structureType
a-SnDiamondIV-IV24
AgBrSphaleriteI-VII12.4
AgISphaleriteI-VII10
AlAsSphaleriteIII-V8.5
AlPSphaleriteIII-V11.6
AlSbSphaleriteIII-V10.1
BNSphaleriteIII-V7.1
BPSphaleriteIII-V11.6
CDiamondIV-IV5.7
CdSSphaleriteII-VI5.4
CdSWurtziteII-VI9.12
CdSeSphaleriteII-VI10
CdTeSphaleriteII-VI7.2
CdTeWurtziteII-VI11
CuBrSphaleriteI-VII7.9
CuClSphaleriteI-VII7.9
CulSphaleriteI-VII6.5
GaAsSphaleriteIII-V10.4
GaPSphaleriteIII-V8.5
GaSbSphaleriteIII-V14
GeDiamondIV-IV16
InAsSphaleriteIII-V11.7
InPSphaleriteIII-V12.4
InSbSphaleriteIII-V15.7
PbSHaliteII-VI17
PbSeHaliteII-VI23.6
PbTeHaliteII-VI30
SiDiamondIV-IV11.8
SiCSphaleriteIV-IV10
ZnSSphaleriteII-VI5.2
ZnSeSphaleriteII-VI9.2
ZnTeSphaleriteII-VI10.4
References: 1) Cardarelli, François. Materials Handbook: A Concise Desktop Reference. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2018.