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gallium arsenide

American  

noun

Chemistry.
  1. a crystalline and highly toxic semiconductor, GaAs, used in light-emitting diodes, lasers, and electronic devices.


gallium arsenide Scientific  
  1. A dark-gray crystalline compound used in transistors, solar cells, and semiconductor lasers. Chemical formula: GaAs.


Etymology

Origin of gallium arsenide

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Within this layer, photons interact with excitons in the gallium arsenide, forming polaritons that can be observed as they evolve.

From Science Daily May 6, 2026

At the nearby UCSB, Young is taking a wholly different route to Majorana quasiparticles, one that revives the fractional quantum Hall effect, but in graphene instead of gallium arsenide.

From Science Magazine Dec. 20, 2023

Microgravity Laboratory onboard the space shuttle Columbia, and there astronauts produced two crystals of a material called gallium arsenide.

From Scientific American Oct. 23, 2023

A limited number of companies around the world produce gallium arsenide at the purity needed for use in electronics, according to the CRMA.

From BBC Jul. 31, 2023

Red LEDs and red light sensors are another major use for gallium arsenide.

From Reuters Jul. 11, 2023

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