gallium arsenide

American  

noun

Chemistry.

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

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gallium arsenide Scientific  

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

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Etymology

Origin of gallium arsenide

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

In 1982, scientists discovered the fractional quantum Hall effect in heterostructures of gallium arsenide, where a gas of electrons confined in a two-dimensional plane is placed under high magnetic fields.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024

Microsoft researchers began to look for these fractional charges in samples of gallium arsenide, a compound often used in solar cells.

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

Semiconductor wafers made with gallium arsenide rather than silicon can operate at higher frequencies and are heat resistant, according to U.S. company Wafer World.

From Reuters • Jul. 4, 2023