1312-41-0

See indium; antimony.

Crystalline solid.

Black cubic crystal; zincblende structure; density 5.775 g/cm3; melts at525°C; density of melt 6.48 g/mL; dielectric constant 15.9; insoluble in water.

Crystal structure: Zinc blende structure, cubic

In semiconductor electronics. Grown p-n junctions(Indium(III) antimonide) have been made by doping a melt with an acceptor impurity such as zinc or cadmium, and dipping in an n-type crystal. Rate-grown junctions have also been made. Broad-area surface junctions have been produced by out-diffusing antimony in vacuum from the surface of an n-type crystal, producing a p-n junction just inside the surface. Also has photoconductive, photoelectromagnetic, and magnetoresistive properties. Useful as an infrared detector and filter, and in Hall effect devices.

Indium antimonide finds use in infrared detectors, including FLIR systems, thermal imaging cameras, infrared astronomy and in infrared homing missile guidance systems, in fast transistors. It is used in thermal image detectors using photo-electromagnetic detectors or photodiodes.

Indium antimonide may be synthesized from its elements by fusion of sto-ichiometric amounts of indium and antimony at elevated temperatures in anevacuated, sealed ampule.

Intermetallic semiconductors of indium are formed from group III and group V elements, requiring very high purity of the elements (0.1 ppm).

The space lattice of InSb belongs to the cubic system and zinc-blende-type structure called InSb-I at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure has a lattice constant of a=0.64789 nm and In–Sb=0.280 nm. A single crystal has cleavage of (110) plane. It transforms to white tin-type InSb-II at high temperatures and under high pressure.