Crystal growth of silicon arsenide

Abstract

Silicon arsenide crystals have been prepared by chemical vapor growth and melt-growth techniques. The reaction of silicon, arsenic, and iodine in a closed tube has produced ribbon-shaped silicon arsenide up to 20×4.5×0.18 mm in size. They were found to be twinned crystals of monoclinic structure with twinning about a {2̄01} plane. The growth direction was parallel to the b axis, and the main faces were also of {2̄01} orientations. The room-temperature optical energy gap of silicon arsenide was determined to be about 2 eV. The dissociation pressure of silicon arsenide at its melting point was estimated to be 2 atm from vapor pressure measurements. Single crystals of silicon arsenide, up to 9 mm in diameter, have been grown by the Bridgman technique under an arsenic pressure of 3 atm. The growth direction was also parallel to the b axis, and the crystals cleaved readily along {2̄01} planes. © 1971 The American Institute of Physics.