gallium arsenide

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is a compound of the elements gallium and arsenic. It is an important semiconductor material used in most high-speed and high-frequency electronic devices. GaAs was discovered in 1915 by German chemist Alfred Stock and is the most commonly used compound semiconductor of the III-V family. The III-V family includes compounds of elements in Groups III and V of the periodic table, i.e. elements that are listed in both groups on the periodic table. GaAs is a direct bandgap material, meaning that light is emitted directly when an electron and hole combine, as opposed to the indirect bandgap materials whereby electrons are scattered before recombination. As an electroluminescent material, GaAs is used in the manufacture of various light-emitting diodes such as infrared, visible, and ultraviolet. GaAs is also a common material used in the manufacture of laser diodes since it has a very large gain coefficient which enables it to amplify light and thus generate laser beams more efficiently. GaAs set be manufactured in various forms such as epitaxial wafers, bulk crystals, opto-electronic chips, and monocrystalline wafers. Its major applications are in the field of opto-electronic devices such as infrared-emitting laser diodes, light emitting diodes, high power transistors, modulator-demodulators and so on. GaAs has a wide range of applications in electronics, telecommunication and optoelectronics. For example, it is used in the manufacture of semiconductor lasers, digital signal processors, opto-electronic devices such as optical amplifiers and detectors, modulator-demodulators, and other electronic components such as transistors and other circuits. GaAs is also used in the manufacture of solar cells and space equipment. Due to its high conductivity, it is also used as an interconnect material. GaAs also has a wide range of application in opto-electronics, such as in the manufacture of LEDs and semiconductor infrared emitters for remote control and security system applications. GaAs is also used in opto-electronic sensors such as CCDs, photodetectors, infrared detectors and reflectors etc. In addition, GaAs is used in X-ray systems, optics and optoelectronic components. GaAs is considered to be the most suitable material for millimeter-wave radars and is used in military and aerospace systems.