chemistry

Indium gallium phosphide

Indium gallium phosphide is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Indium gallium phosphide rather than just read about it. In short: 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.

Key takeaways

Indium gallium phosphide belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Indium gallium phosphide to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Indium gallium phosphide from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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. It is used mainly in HEMT and HBT structures, but also for the fabrication of high efficiency solar cells used for space applications and, in combination with aluminium (AlGaInP alloy) to make high brightness LEDs with orange-red, orange, yellow, and green colors. Some semiconductor devices such as EFluor Nanocrystal use InGaP as their core particle. Indium gallium phosphide is a solid solution of indium phosphide and gallium phosphide. Ga0.5In0.5P is a solid solution of special importance, which is almost lattice matched to GaAs. This allows, in combination with (AlxGa1−x)0.5In0.5, the growth of lattice matched quantum wells for red emitting semiconductor lasers, e.g., red emitting (650nm) RCLEDs or VCSELs for PMMA plastic optical fibers. Ga0.5In0.5P is used as the high energy junction on double and triple junction photovoltaic cells grown on GaAs. Recent years have shown GaInP/GaAs tandem solar cells with AM0 (sunlight incidence in space = 1.35 kW/m2) efficiencies in excess of 25%. A different composition of GaInP, lattice matched to the underlying GaInAs, is utilized as the high energy junction GaInP/GaInAs/Ge triple junction photovoltaic cells. Growth of GaInP by epitaxy can be complicated by the tendency of GaInP to grow as an ordered material, rather than a truly random solid solution (i.e., a mixture). This changes the bandgap and the electronic and optical properties of the material.

See also Gallium phosphide Indium(III) phosphide Indium gallium nitride Indium gallium arsenide GaInP/GaAs solar cell

References

E.F. Schubert "Light emitting diodes", ISBN 0-521-53351-1

External links EMCORE Solar Cells Spectrolab Solar Cells NSM Archive Archived 2015-10-19 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Indium gallium phosphide

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Indium gallium phosphide claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Indium gallium phosphide before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Indium gallium phosphide ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Indium gallium phosphide

In research: Indium gallium phosphide appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Indium gallium phosphide in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Indium gallium phosphide is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Condensed matter stubs, Gallium compounds, III-V compounds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Indium gallium phosphide outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Indium gallium phosphide in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Indium gallium phosphide means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Indium gallium phosphide out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Indium gallium phosphide in simple terms?

Why does Indium gallium phosphide matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Indium gallium phosphide?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Indium gallium phosphide.