Compositional and structural characterisation of GaSb and GaInSb

Low band gap III-V semiconductors are researched for applications in thermophotovoltaic technology. GaSb crystal is often used as a substrate. Ga1−xInxSb is also a promising substrate material, because its lattice parameters can be adjusted by controlling x. We used a new method to synthesise GaSb and GaInSb, in which a high frequency alternate magnetic field is used to heat, to melt and to mix the elements. We present a compositional and structural characterisation of the materials using a combination of complementary techniques. Rutherford backscattering was used to determine accurately the composition of the GaSb. With proton induced X-ray emission in conjunction with a 3 × 3 μm2 micro-beam we studied the homogeneity of the samples. Structural analysis and phase identification were done with X-ray diffraction. The results for GaSb show a homogeneous composition while the GaInSb samples were found to be strongly heterogeneous at the end of the ingot. The ingots produced are competitive feed material, when compared to other growth techniques, to be used in a second step for the production of good quality ternary crystals.