Compounds antimonides

The supplanting of germanium-based semiconductor devices by shicon devices has almost eliminated the use of indium in the related ahoy junction (see Semiconductors). Indium, however, is finding increased use in III—V compound semiconductors such as indium phosphide [22398-80-7] for laser diodes used in fiber optic communication systems (see Electronic materials Fiber optics Light generation). Other important indium-containing semiconductors include indium arsenide [1303-11-3] indium antimonide [1312-41 -0] and copper—indium—diselenide [12018-95-0]. 

Indium also combines with nonmetaUic elements and with metalloids such as N, P, Sb, As, Te, and Se. Many of the latter compounds ate semiconducting as ate the oxide and sulfide. Indium antimonide [1312-41 -0], InSb indium arsenide [1303-11-3], In As and indium phosphide [22398-80-7], InP, ate the principal semiconducting compounds. These ate all prepared by direct combination of the highly purified elements at elevated temperature under controlled conditions. 

Stibiae may be prepared by the treatment of metal antimonides with acid, chemical reduction of antimony compounds, and the electrolysis of acid or alkaline solutions usiag a metallic antimony cathode ... 

Metallic Antimonides. Numerous binary compounds of antimony with metallic elements are known. The most important of these are indium antimonide [1312-41 -0] InSb, gallium antimonide [12064-03-8] GaSb, and aluminum antimonide [25152-52-7] AlSb, which find extensive use as semiconductors. The alkali metal antimonides, such as lithium antimonide [12057-30-6] and sodium antimonide [12058-86-5] do not consist of simple ions. Rather, there is appreciable covalent bonding between the alkali metal and the Sb as well as between pairs of Na atoms. These compounds are useful for the preparation of organoantimony compounds, such as trimethylstibine [594-10-5] (CH2)2Sb, by reaction with an organohalogen compound. 

Other binary compounds include MAs3 (M = Rh, Ir), which has the skutterudite (CoAs3) structure [33] containing As4 rectangular units and octahedrally coordinated M. The corresponding antimonides are similar. M2P (M = Rh, Ir) has the anti-fluorite structure while MP3 has the CoAs3 structure. In another compound of this stoichiometry, IrSi3, 9-coordination exists for iridium. 

Figure 3. The lattice parameter for the family of rock-salt structure actinide-antimonide compounds is shown where the line is for the corresponding lanthanide compounds. The metallic radii for the light actinide elements are plotted. The smooth line simply connects Ac to the heavy actinides. In both cases the smooth line represents the ideal tri-valent behavior.

Antimonide-actinide compounds, lattice parameter for rock-salt... 

Among binary transition-metal pnictides, only the first-row transition-metal phosphides have been analysed by XPS extensively, whereas arsenides and antimonides have been barely studied [51-61]. Table 2 reveals some general trends in the P 2p3/2 BEs for various first-row transition-metal monophosphides, as well as some metaland phosphorus-rich members forming for a given transition metal. Deviations of as much as a few tenths of an electron volt are seen in the BEs for some compounds measured multiple times by different investigators (e.g., MnP), but these... 

The transition-metal monopnictides MPn with the MnP-type structure discussed above contain strong M-M and weak Pn-Pn bonds. Compounds richer in Pn can also be examined by XPS, such as the binary skutterudites MPn , (M = Co, Rh, Ir Pn = P, As, Sb), which contain strong Pn-Pn bonds but no M-M bonds [79,80], The cubic crystal structure consists of a network of comer-sharing M-centred octa-hedra, which are tilted to form nearly square Pnn rings creating large dodecahedral voids [81]. These voids can be filled with rare-earth atoms to form ternary variants REM Pnn (RE = rare earth M = Fe, Ru, Os Pn = P, As, Sb) (Fig. 26) [81,82], the antimonides being of interest as thermoelectric materials [83]. 

In the last decade, numerous compounds of these types have been the subject of detailed CVD studies, demonstrating their potential for the deposition of the corresponding binary materials. Most of the work has concentrated on binary nitrides and phosphides, while the deposition of binary MSb films has been studied to a far lesser extent. The lack of potential precursors has been the major problem for the deposition of group 13-antimonide films for many years. Only a very few group 13-Sb compounds have been known until we and Wells established general synthetic pathways as was shown in Sections 2 and 3. Consequently, detailed investigations concerning their potential to serve for the deposition of the desired materials... 

The very high thermal stability of compounds with the elements representative of the 15th to 16th groups such as the antimonides, tellurides, etc. may be underlined. 

Arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides. A number of salt-like related binary compounds formed with these semi-metals pertain to the following structure types NaCl, NiAs, ZnS, Na3As, FeS2, etc. 

A number of binary phosphides and polyphosphides (compounds containing P—P bonds), for instance those of Mn, Tc, Re, Fe, Ru, Os can be prepared, often in well crystallized form, by the tin-flux technique. The mixture generally containing an excess of P (red P) and a high excess of tin is heated, possibly at a slow rate, to the required temperature (600°-1000°C) and maintained at that temperature for several days and then slowly cooled. In several cases the products may be recovered by dissolving the tin-rich residue in hydrochloric acid. The preparation of several ternary phosphides and of arsenides and antimonides has also been described (see 6.11.3). 

Electrolytic reduction of compounds In electrolytic cells the reduction of an element to low oxidation states may be performed, and compounds such as sulphides, phosphides, antimonides, etc. may be prepared. 

Individually indexed alloys or intermetallic compounds are Aluminium amalgam, 0051 Aluminium-copper-zinc alloy, 0050 Aluminium-lanthanum-nickel alloy, 0080 Aluminium-lithium alloy, 0052 Aluminium-magnesium alloy, 0053 Aluminium-nickel alloys, 0055 Aluminium-titanium alloys, 0056 Copper-zinc alloys, 4268 Ferromanganese, 4389 Ferrotitanium, 4391 Lanthanum-nickel alloy, 4678 Lead-tin alloys, 4883 Lead-zirconium alloys, 4884 Lithium-magnesium alloy, 4681 Lithium-tin alloys, 4682 Plutonium bismuthide, 0231 Potassium antimonide, 4673 Potassium-sodium alloy, 4646 Silicon-zirconium alloys, 4910... 

Indiums low melting point is the major factor in determining its commercial importance. This factor makes it ideal for soldering the lead wires to semiconductors and transistors in the electronics industry. The compounds of indium arsenide, indium antimonide, and indium phosphide are used to construct semiconductors that have specialized functions in the electronics industry. 

Bismuth antimonide (BiSb) is not really a compound but single crystals of the alloy of bismuth and antimony. The crystals are used as semiconductors in the electronics industry and to produce type for printing presses and low-melting-point electrical fuses. 

Antimonides of formulas CdSb and Cd3Sb2 have been reported. Both are usually prepared by direct union of the elements, the former is a hole-type semiconductor (9), with properties shown in Table 1, and finds use as a thermoelectric generator. Reagent-grade material costs 2.00/g in small lots. The band gap energy is 0.46 eV (2.70 pin) (31) AHyap is 138 kj/mol (33.0 kcal/mol). Dicadmium triantimonide [12014-29-8], Cd2Sb3, is a metastable, white crystalline compound of monoclinic symmetry a = 0.72 nm, b = 1.351 nm, c = 0.616 nm, (3 = 100° 14 d = 7.014 g/mL mp 423°C (7). 

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