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 gallium arsenide and most of the III-V semiconductors.
Manufacturing
Indium phosphide can be prepared from the reaction of
white phosphorus and
indium iodide at 400 °C.,
[ Indium Phosphide at HSDB. U.S. National Institute of Health] also by direct combination of the purified elements at high temperature and pressure, or by thermal decomposition of a mixture of a trialkyl indium compound and
phosphine.
[ InP manufacture. U.S. National Institute of Health]
Applications
The application fields of InP splits up into three main areas. It is used as the basis for optoelectronic components,
high-speed electronics,
and photovoltaics
High-speed optoelectronics
InP is used as a substrate for
epitaxy optoelectronic devices based other semiconductors, such as indium gallium arsenide. The devices include pseudomorphic heterojunction bipolar transistors that could operate at 604 GHz.
[ Indium Phosphide and Indium Gallium Arsenide Help Break 600 Gigahertz Speed Barrier. Azom. April 2005]
InP itself has a direct bandgap, making it useful for optoelectronics devices like and photonic integrated circuits for the optical telecommunications industry, to enable wavelength-division multiplexing applications.[ The Light Brigade appeared in Red Herring in 2002. ] 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.
Optical Communications
InP is used in lasers, sensitive photodetectors and modulators in the wavelength window typically used for telecommunications, i.e., 1550 nm wavelengths, as it is a direct bandgap III-V compound semiconductor material. The wavelength between about 1510 nm and 1600 nm has the lowest attenuation available on optical fibre (about 0.2 dB/km).
Further, O-band and C-band wavelengths supported by InP facilitate single-mode operation, reducing effects of
Modal dispersion.
Photovoltaics and optical sensing
InP can be used in photonic integrated circuits that can generate, amplify, control and detect laser light.
Optical sensing applications of InP include
-
Air pollution control by real-time detection of gases (CO, CO2, NOX or, etc.).
-
Quick verification of traces of toxic substances in gases and liquids, including tap water, or surface contaminations.
-
Spectroscopy for non-destructive control of product, such as food. Researchers of Eindhoven University of Technology and MantiSpectra have already demonstrated the application of an integrated near-infrared spectral sensor for milk.
Cited sources
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