Aluminium indium arsenide
Encyclopedia
Aluminium indium arsenide, also indium aluminium arsenide or AlInAs (Al
xIn
1-xAs
), is a semiconductor material with very nearly the same lattice constant
as GaInAs, but a larger bandgap. The x in the formula above is a number between 0 and 1 - this indicates an arbitrary alloy
between InAs and AlAs
.
The formula AlInAs should be considered an abbreviated form of the above, rather than any particular ratio.
Aluminium indium arsenide is used e.g. as a buffer layer in metamorphic HEMT
transistors, where it serves to adjust the lattice constant differences between the GaAs
substrate and the GaInAs
channel. It can be also used to form alternate layers with indium gallium arsenide
, which act as quantum well
s; these strcuctures are used in e.g. broadband quantum cascade laser
s.
and arsine
) and industrial hygiene monitoring studies of standard MOVPE sources have been reported recently in a review .
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
xIn
Indium
Indium is a chemical element with the symbol In and atomic number 49. This rare, very soft, malleable and easily fusible post-transition metal is chemically similar to gallium and thallium, and shows the intermediate properties between these two...
1-xAs
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
), is a semiconductor material with very nearly the same lattice constant
Lattice constant
The lattice constant [or lattice parameter] refers to the constant distance between unit cells in a crystal lattice. Lattices in three dimensions generally have three lattice constants, referred to as a, b, and c. However, in the special case of cubic crystal structures, all of the constants are...
as GaInAs, but a larger bandgap. The x in the formula above is a number between 0 and 1 - this indicates an arbitrary alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
between InAs and AlAs
Aluminium arsenide
Aluminium arsenide or aluminum arsenide is a semiconductor material with almost the same lattice constant as gallium arsenide and aluminium gallium arsenide and wider band gap than gallium arsenide.-Properties:...
.
The formula AlInAs should be considered an abbreviated form of the above, rather than any particular ratio.
Aluminium indium arsenide is used e.g. as a buffer layer in metamorphic HEMT
HEMT
High electron mobility transistor , also known as heterostructure FET or modulation-doped FET , is a field effect transistor incorporating a junction between two materials with different band gaps as the channel instead of a doped region, as is generally the case for MOSFET...
transistors, where it serves to adjust the lattice constant differences between the GaAs
Gaas
Gaas is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France....
substrate and the GaInAs
Gainas
Gainas was an ambitious Gothic leader who served the Eastern Roman Empire as Magister Militum during the reigns of Theodosius I and Arcadius....
channel. It can be also used to form alternate layers with indium gallium arsenide
Indium gallium arsenide
Indium gallium arsenide is a semiconductor composed of indium, gallium and arsenic. It is used in high-power and high-frequency electronics because of its superior electron velocity with respect to the more common semiconductors silicon and gallium arsenide. InGaAs bandgap also makes it the...
, which act as quantum well
Quantum well
A quantum well is a potential well with only discrete energy values.One technology to create quantization is to confine particles, which were originally free to move in three dimensions, to two dimensions, forcing them to occupy a planar region...
s; these strcuctures are used in e.g. broadband quantum cascade laser
Quantum cascade laser
Quantum cascade lasers are semiconductor lasers that emit in the mid- to far-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and were first demonstrated by Jerome Faist, Federico Capasso, Deborah Sivco, Carlo Sirtori, Albert Hutchinson, and Alfred Cho at Bell Laboratories in 1994.Unlike typical...
s.
Safety and toxicity aspects
The toxicology of AlInAs has not been fully investigated. The dust is an irritant to skin, eyes and lungs. The environment, health and safety aspects of aluminium indium arsenide sources (such as trimethylindiumTrimethylindium
Trimethylindium , In3, is the preferred metalorganic source of Indium for metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy of indium-containing compound semiconductors, such as InP, InAs, InN, InSb, GaInAs, InGaN, AlGaInP, AlInP, AlInGaNP etc. TMI is a white, crystalline and sublimable solid, with melting point...
and arsine
Arsine
Arsine is the chemical compound with the formula AsH3. This flammable, pyrophoric, and highly toxic gas is one of the simplest compounds of arsenic...
) and industrial hygiene monitoring studies of standard MOVPE sources have been reported recently in a review .