Aluminium gallium indium phosphide

Last updated
Aluminium gallium indium phosphide
Identifiers
Properties
AlGaInP
Structure
Cubic
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Aluminium gallium indium phosphide ( Al Ga In P , also AlInGaP, InGaAlP, etc.) is a semiconductor material that provides a platform for the development of multi-junction photovoltaics and optoelectronic devices. It spans a direct bandgap ranging from ultraviolet to infrared photon energies. [1]

Contents

AlGaInP is used in heterostructures for high-brightness red, orange, green, and yellow light-emitting diodes. It is also used to make diode lasers.

Preparation

AlGaInP is typically grown by heteroepitaxy on gallium arsenide or gallium phosphide substrates in order to form a quantum well structure that can be fabricated into different devices.

Properties

Optical properties
Refractive index 3.49
Chromatic dispersion -1.68 μm−1
Absorption coefficient 50536 cm−1

The direct bandgap of AlGaInP encompasses the energy range of visible light (1.7 eV - 3.1 eV). By selecting a specific composition of AlGaInP, the bandgap can be selected to correspond to the energy of a specific wavelength of visible light. For instance, this can be used to obtain LEDs that emit red, orange, or yellow light. [1]

Like most other III-V semiconductors and their alloys, AlGaInP possesses a zincblende crystal structure. [2]

Applications

AlGaInP is used as the active material in:

AlGaInP is frequently used in LEDs for lighting systems, along with indium gallium nitride (InGaN).[ citation needed ]

Diode laser

A diode laser consists of a semiconductor material in which a p-n junction forms the active medium and optical feedback is typically provided by reflections at the device facets. AlGaInP diode lasers emit visible and near-infrared light with wavelengths of 0.63-0.76 μm. [3] The primary applications of AlGaInP diode lasers are in optical disc readers, laser pointers, and gas sensors, as well as for optical pumping, and machining. [1]

Safety and toxicity aspects

The toxicology of AlGaInP has not been fully investigated. The dust is an irritant to skin, eyes and lungs. The environment, health and safety aspects of aluminium indium gallium phosphide sources (such as trimethylgallium, trimethylindium and phosphine) and industrial hygiene monitoring studies of standard MOVPE sources have been reported in a review. [4]

Illumination by an AlGaInP laser was associated in one study with slower healing of skin wounds in laboratory rats. [5] [ medical citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aluminium gallium arsenide</span> Semiconductor material

Aluminium gallium arsenide (AlxGa1−xAs) is a semiconductor material with very nearly the same lattice constant as GaAs, but a larger bandgap. The x in the formula above is a number between 0 and 1 - this indicates an arbitrary alloy between GaAs and AlAs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Band gap</span> Energy range in a solid where no electron states exist

In solid-state physics and solid-state chemistry, a band gap, also called a bandgap or energy gap, is an energy range in a solid where no electronic states exist. In graphs of the electronic band structure of solids, the band gap refers to the energy difference between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band in insulators and semiconductors. It is the energy required to promote an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. The resulting conduction-band electron are free to move within the crystal lattice and serve as charge carriers to conduct electric current. It is closely related to the HOMO/LUMO gap in chemistry. If the valence band is completely full and the conduction band is completely empty, then electrons cannot move within the solid because there are no available states. If the electrons are not free to move within the crystal lattice, then there is no generated current due to no net charge carrier mobility. However, if some electrons transfer from the valence band to the conduction band, then current can flow. Therefore, the band gap is a major factor determining the electrical conductivity of a solid. Substances having large band gaps are generally insulators, those with small band gaps are semiconductor, and conductors either have very small band gaps or none, because the valence and conduction bands overlap to form a continuous band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laser diode</span> Semiconductor laser

A laser diode is a semiconductor device similar to a light-emitting diode in which a diode pumped directly with electrical current can create lasing conditions at the diode's junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallium arsenide</span> Chemical compound

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is a III-V direct band gap semiconductor with a zinc blende crystal structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indium phosphide</span> Chemical compound

Indium phosphide (InP) is a binary semiconductor composed of indium and phosphorus. It has a face-centered cubic ("zincblende") crystal structure, identical to that of GaAs and most of the III-V semiconductors.

The heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) is a type of bipolar junction transistor (BJT) which uses differing semiconductor materials for the emitter and base regions, creating a heterojunction. The HBT improves on the BJT in that it can handle signals of very high frequencies, up to several hundred GHz. It is commonly used in modern ultrafast circuits, mostly radio frequency (RF) systems, and in applications requiring a high power efficiency, such as RF power amplifiers in cellular phones. The idea of employing a heterojunction is as old as the conventional BJT, dating back to a patent from 1951. Detailed theory of heterojunction bipolar transistor was developed by Herbert Kroemer in 1957.

Indium gallium phosphide (InGaP), also called gallium indium phosphide (GaInP), is a semiconductor composed of indium, gallium and phosphorus. 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.

Indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) is a ternary alloy of indium arsenide (InAs) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). Indium and gallium are group III elements of the periodic table while arsenic is a group V element. Alloys made of these chemical groups are referred to as "III-V" compounds. InGaAs has properties intermediate between those of GaAs and InAs. InGaAs is a room-temperature semiconductor with applications in electronics and photonics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indium gallium nitride</span> Chemical compound

Indium gallium nitride is a semiconductor material made of a mix of gallium nitride (GaN) and indium nitride (InN). It is a ternary group III/group V direct bandgap semiconductor. Its bandgap can be tuned by varying the amount of indium in the alloy. InxGa1−xN has a direct bandgap span from the infrared for InN to the ultraviolet of GaN. The ratio of In/Ga is usually between 0.02/0.98 and 0.3/0.7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indium arsenide</span> Chemical compound

Indium arsenide, InAs, or indium monoarsenide, is a narrow-bandgap semiconductor composed of indium and arsenic. It has the appearance of grey cubic crystals with a melting point of 942 °C.

Aluminium gallium phosphide, (Al,Ga)P, a phosphide of aluminium and gallium, is a semiconductor material. It is an alloy of aluminium phosphide and gallium phosphide. It is used to manufacture light-emitting diodes emitting green light.

Gallium arsenide phosphide is a semiconductor material, an alloy of gallium arsenide and gallium phosphide. It exists in various composition ratios indicated in its formula by the fraction x.

Aluminium indium arsenide, also indium aluminium arsenide or AlInAs (AlxIn1−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.

Milton Feng co-created the first transistor laser, working with Nick Holonyak in 2004. The paper discussing their work was voted in 2006 as one of the five most important papers published by the American Institute of Physics since its founding 75 years ago. In addition to the invention of transistor laser, he is also well known for inventions of other "major breakthrough" devices, including the world's fastest transistor and light-emitting transistor (LET). As of May, 2009 he is a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and holds the Nick Holonyak Jr. Endowed Chair Professorship.

A quantum-well laser is a laser diode in which the active region of the device is so narrow that quantum confinement occurs. Laser diodes are formed in compound semiconductor materials that are able to emit light efficiently. The wavelength of the light emitted by a quantum-well laser is determined by the width of the active region rather than just the bandgap of the materials from which it is constructed. This means that much shorter wavelengths can be obtained from quantum-well lasers than from conventional laser diodes using a particular semiconductor material. The efficiency of a quantum-well laser is also greater than a conventional laser diode due to the stepwise form of its density of states function.

Gallium indium arsenide antimonide phosphide is a semiconductor material.

Indium arsenide antimonide phosphide is a semiconductor material.

A light-emitting transistor or LET is a form of transistor that emits light. Higher efficiency than light-emitting diode (LED) is possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubin Braunstein</span> American physicist and educator (1922–2018)

Rubin Braunstein (1922–2018) was an American physicist and educator. In 1955 he published the first measurements of light emission by semiconductor diodes made from crystals of gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium antimonide (GaSb), and indium phosphide (InP). GaAs, GaSb, and InP are examples of III-V semiconductors. The III-V semiconductors absorb and emit light much more strongly than silicon, which is the best-known semiconductor. Braunstein's devices are the forerunners of contemporary LED lighting and semiconductor lasers, which typically employ III-V semiconductors. The 2000 and 2014 Nobel Prizes in Physics were awarded for further advances in closely related fields.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rodrigo, SM; Cunha, A; Pozza, DH; Blaya, DS; Moraes, JF; Weber, JB; de Oliveira, MG (2009). "Analysis of the systemic effect of red and infrared laser therapy on wound repair". Photomed Laser Surg. 27 (6): 929–35. doi:10.1089/pho.2008.2306. hdl: 10216/25679 . PMID   19708798.
  2. ↑ "Krames, Michael, R., Oleg B. Shcekin, Regina Mueller-Mach, Gerd O. Mueller, Ling Zhou, Gerard Harbers, and George M Craford. "Status and Future of High-Power Light-Emitting." JOURNAL OF DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY Vol. 3.No. 2 (2007): 160. Department of Electrical Engineering. 20 July 2009. Web" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  3. ↑ Chan, B. L.; Jutamulia, S. (2 December 2010). "Lasers in light skin interaction", Proc. SPIE 7851, Information Optics and Optical Data Storage, 78510O; doi: 10.1117/12.872732
  4. ↑ Shenai-Khatkhate, Deodatta V. (2004). "Environment, health and safety issues for sources used in MOVPE growth of compound semiconductors". Journal of Crystal Growth. 272 (1–4): 816–821. Bibcode:2004JCrGr.272..816S. doi:10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2004.09.007.
  5. ↑ Rodrigo, SM; Cunha, A; Pozza, DH; Blaya, DS; Moraes, JF; Weber, JB; de Oliveira, MG (2009). "Analysis of the systemic effect of red and infrared laser therapy on wound repair". Photomed Laser Surg. 27 (6): 929–35. doi:10.1089/pho.2008.2306. hdl: 10216/25679 . PMID   19708798.
Notes
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.