ME F213

Materials Science and

Engineering

MILLER INDICES

Amal S. Siju
amals@goa.bits-pilani@ac.in
# 237 # A-313/12

Simple cubic space lattice

Crystallographic Points
z

Point q r s
qrs
sc

qa
rb
x

q fraction of a along x-axis

r fraction of b along y-axis
s fraction of c along z-axis

Locate 1 Point in a unit cell

z
b = 0.46 nm

a = 0.48 nm

1
c=
0.40 nm

0.20
0.12

0.46

Crystallographic Points in a SC Unit Cell

z
b

4
1

Equivalent Crystallographic Points

The points to arrive at same corresponding

point by unit translations.
SC unit cell:
BCC unit cell:
FCC unit cell:

0 0 0 All Corner Points

0 0 0 All Corner Points
All Body Centered
0 0 0 All Corner Points
0 All z-face centered
0 All y-face centered
0 All x-face centered

b
a

6
9
c

z
b

5
7

6
c

11
1

10
x

Crystallographic Direction
Defined as line between two points or a vector
Steps
1. Vector is positioned such that it passes through the
origin.
2. Length of vector projection on each of three axes is
determined.
3. Numbers are multiplied or divided by a common
factor to reduce to small integer.
4. Numbers are enclosed in square brackets without
commas; like [uvw]

Note:
<uvw> for family of planes
Negative indices are noted by a bar on the top

Direction Indices

Crystallographic Direction
z
a

O
y

OA [1 0 0]

Crystallographic Direction in a cubic Unit Cell

z
a

O
y

OA [1 1 0]

Crystallographic Direction in a cubic Unit Cell

z
a

O
y

OA [1 1 1]

Direction in a cubic Unit Cell

z
a

a
A
O
a/2

OA [2 0 1]

Direction in a cubic Unit Cell

z
a

a/2

y
a/2

OA [1 2 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

alongz edges of cube
a

O
y
A
x

OA [1 0 0]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

alongz edges of cube
a

O
y
A
x

AO [1 0 0]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

alongz edges of cube
a

O
y
A

OA [0 1 0]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

alongz edges of cube
a

O
y
A

AO [0 1 0]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

alongz edges of cube
a

O
y

OA [0 0 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

alongz edges of cube
a

O
y

AO [0 0 1]

Equivalent Directions
along edges

Family Representation <1 0 0>

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

OR Family of Directions
These are the directions which are
crystallographically equivalent; i.e.
spacing of atoms along each direction is
the same

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

O
y

OA [1 1 0]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

O
y

AO [1 1 0]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

y
A

OA [1 1 0]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

y
A

AO [1 1 0]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

A
a

O
y

OA [1 0 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

A
a

O
y

AO [1 0 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

OA [1 0 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

AO [1 0 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

y
O

OA [0 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

y
O

AO [0 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

y
O

OA [0 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-diagonal of cube
z

y
O

AO [0 1 1]

Equivalent Directions
along Face Diagonals

Family Representation <1 1 0>

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along Body-Diagonal of cube
z

a
A
a

y
O

OA [1 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along Body-Diagonal of cube
z

a
A
a

y
O

AO [1 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along Body-Diagonal of cube
z

OA [1 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along Body-Diagonal of cube
z

AO [1 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along Body-Diagonal of cube
z

A
a

y
O

OA [1 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along Body-Diagonal of cube
z

A
a

y
O

AO [1 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along Body-Diagonal of cube
z

OA [1 1 1]

Equivalent Directions in a cubic Unit Cell

along Body-Diagonal of cube
z

AO [1 1 1]

Equivalent Directions
along Body Diagonals

Family Representation <1 1 1>

Important Observation in Cubic Unit Cell

In case of cubic unit cell, directions having

same indices irrespective of ORDER & SIGN
are equivalent.
E.g. [1 1 0], [0 1 1], [1 0 1] are equivalent

Draw a [1 1 0] direction in a Cubic Unit Cell

z
a

a
-a
O
O

[1 1 0]
[1 1 0]
A

Crystallographic Planes

Crystallographic Plane
Representation of orientation of planes
Steps:
1. Find the intercepts of plane on each axis in terms of
the lattice parameters a, b and c.
2. Take the reciprocals of these numbers.
3. Multiply or divide these number by a common
factor.
4. Enclose the indices within parentheses; (hkl)

Note:
(h k l) for one plane
{h k l} for family of planes
Negative indices are noted by a bar on the top

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell along faces of unit cell

z
a

y
A
x

ABCD (1 0 0)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell along faces of unit cell

z
a
D

a
C
a

y
A

ABCD (0 1 0)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell along faces of unit cell

z
a

ABCD (0 0 1)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-Diagonal of cube
z

a
C

ABCD (1 1 0)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-Diagonal of cube
z

Choose:
1. Another
parallel plane
2. New origin

a
D
C

ABCD (1 1 0)
x

OR

ABCD (1 1 0)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-Diagonal of cube
z

ABCD (0 1 1)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-Diagonal of cube
z

Choose:
1. Another
parallel plane
2. New origin

a
B
a

y
D

ABCD (0 1 1)
OR

ABCD (0 1 1)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-Diagonal of cube
z
a

Choose:
1. Another
parallel plane
2. New origin

a
B
C
a

ABCD (1 0 1)
OR

ABCD (1 0 1)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell

along face-Diagonal of cube
z

O
C
x

ABCD (1 0 1)

Crystal Planes in a cubic Unit Cell

along 3 face diagonals of a cube
z

y
B

ABC (1 1 1)

Determine the Miller Indices for

the plane ABCD
z
a

Choose:
1. Another
parallel plane
2. New origin

C
a/2
a

ABCD (0 1 2)

For (0 1 1) plane adjacent

Unit Cell in ve y-direction is required
z
a

-y
O

(0 1 1) plane w.r.t Cubic Unit Cell

z
a

a
(0 1 1)
a

-y
O
0
x

Construct a (1 1 1) plane within a

Cubic Unit Cell
z
a

a
O
a

Construct a (1 1 1) plane within a

Cubic Unit Cell
z
a

a
O
B
a

(1 1 1)
y

Equivalent Planes OR Family of Planes

The planes which are Crystallographically equivalent;
i.e. having the same atomic packing (spacing)

{1 0 0}
{1 1 0}
{1 1 1}

Important Observation in Cubic Unit Cell

In case of cubic unit cell, planes having

same indices irrespective of ORDER & SIGN
are equivalent.
E.g. (0 0 1), (0 1 0), (1 0 0) are equivalent

Important Observation in Cubic Unit Cell

z

a
a

y
O
A
x

Miller indices are same for a plane and direction, which are
perpendicular to each other

ABCD (1 0 0)
OA [1 0 0]

Summary of notations
Symbol
[]

[uvw]

Particular direction

<>

<uvw>

Family of directions

()

(hkl)

Particular plane

{}

{hkl}

Family of planes

..

.xyz.
.qrs.

Particular point

::

:qrs:
:xyz:

Family of point

Direction

Plane

Point

A family is also referred to as a symmetrical set

Thanks