Gallium(III) oxide (C15-1207-665)

General description

Gallium(III) oxide (Ga₂O₃) is a wide band gap semiconductor that belongs to a family of transparent semiconducting oxides (TSO). It can form different polymorphs such as α-,β-, γ-, δ-, and ε-. Polycrystalline and nanocrystalline Ga₂O₃ can be prepared using several methods such as chemical vapor deposition, thermal vaporization, and sublimation, molecular beam epitaxy, melt growth, etc. It is widely used as a functional material in various applications including optoelectronics, chemical sensors, catalysis, semiconductor devices, field-effect transistors, and many others.

Application

Ga₂O₃ is widely used as a host material for the fabrication of electroluminescent devices. For example, europium-doped Ga₂O₃ thin films can be used as a light-emitting layer to fabricate an optically transparent electroluminescent device.

Due to its distinct optical and electrical properties like moderate conductivity and high laser damage threshold, Ga₂O₃ can be used in laser-driven electron accelerators, low-loss plasmonics, and Si-based dielectric laser accelerators.

It can also be used as an effective catalyst for the dehydrogenation of propane to propene.

Starting material for the preparation of Sr₂CuGaO₃S, an example of a rare square pyramidal gallium.