Two choices for the third layer lead to two different close-packed lattice types

Now consider what happens when we lay down a third layer of atoms. These will fit into the void spaces within the B-layer. As before, there are two sets of these positions, but unlike the case described above, they are not equivalent.

The atoms in the third layer are represented by open blue circles in order to avoid obscuring the layers underneath. In the illustration on the left, this third layer is placed on the B-layer at locations that are directly above the atoms of the A-layer, so our third layer is just a another A layer. If we add still more layers, the vertical sequence A-B-A-B-A-B-A... repeats indefinitely.

In the diagram on the right above, the blue atoms have been placed above the white (unoccupied) void spaces in layer A. Because this third layer is displaced horizontally (in our view) from layer A, we will call it layer C. As we add more layers of atoms, the sequence of layers is A-B-C-A-B-C-A-B-C..., so we call it ABC packing.

For the purposes of clarity, only three atoms of the A and C layers are shown in these diagrams. But in reality, each layer consists of an extended hexagonal array; the two layers are simply displaced from one another.

These two diagrams that show exploded views of the vertical stacking further illustrate the rather small fundamental difference between these two arrangements— but, as you will see below, they have widely divergent structural consequences. Note the opposite orientations of the A and C layers

The Hexagonal closed-packed structure

The HCP stacking shown on the left just above takes us out of the cubic crystal system into the hexagonal system, so we will not say much more about it here except to point out each atom has 12 nearest neighbors: six in its own layer, and three in each layer above and below it.

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 2893