CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC PLANES

Any two planes parallel to each other are

equivalent and have identical indices
Procedure is:
• If the plane passes through the selected origin, construct
another parallel plane within the unit cell/ establish a new
origin at the corner of another unit cell
• The plane intersects/ parallels each of the 3 axes;
determine the length of planar intercept for each axis in
terms of a, b, &c.
• Take reciprocals of these numbers. (if a plane parallels an
axis, intercept is infinity & thus a zero index )
• Change to a set of smallest integers
• Enclose within parentheses as (h k l)
 Crystallographic Planes
specified by
MILLER INDICES
STEPS:
• One corner of Unit cell is
Origin
• The plane cuts X axis at a, Y
axis at b, Z axis at c

X Y Z
PROJ. a b c
a=b=c 1 1 1
reciprocal 1 1 1
Crys. PLANE: (1 1 1)
 Direction [1 1 1]& Plane (1 1 1)
FOR CUBIC
CRYSTALS ONLY
Planes and
Directions having
same indices are
perpendicular to
one another
[1 2 3]
 X Y Z
PROJ. a/2 ∞ c
a=b=c 1/2 ∞ 1
reciprocal 2 0 1
Crys. PLANE: (2 0 1)
 X Y Z
PROJ. ∞ b c

a=b=c ∞ 1 1

reciprocal 0 1 1

Crys. PLANE: (0 1 1)

(0 1 1)
 X Y Z
PROJ. a b -c

a=b=c 1 1 1

reciprocal 1 1 1

Crys. PLANE: (1 1 1) (1 1 1)
 (1 3 0)
X Y Z

PROJ. -a b/3 ∞

a=b=c -1 1/3 ∞

reciprocal 1 3 0

Crys. PLANE: (1 3 0)
[1 1 0] [2 1 1]
Problem 1
Problem 2
Problem 3
Problem 4
Problem 5
Problem 6
Problem 7
 Problem 8 a & b
Sketch [0 0 0 1] and (0 0 0 1)
Problem 9
Problem 10
Problem 11
Problem 12
Problem 13
Problem 14
Problem 15