Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)

Direct bandgap III-V semiconductor used in solar cells and RF amplifiers.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Electron mobility in GaAs is roughly six times that of silicon, about 8,500 versus 1,400 cm²/V·s.
• GaAs-based multi-junction solar cells power most spacecraft, converting sunlight at efficiencies above 30%.
• Its direct 1.42 eV bandgap made GaAs the material of the first semiconductor diode lasers, demonstrated in 1962.

Specifications & Metrics

• DENSITY: 5.32 g/cm³
• YIELD STRENGTH: N/A (brittle)
• HARDNESS: 750 HK