GaP
Gallium phosphide · GaP
Gallium phosphide is a thermodynamically stable III-V semiconductor widely used in the development of light-emitting diodes and other optoelectronic devices.
About Gallium phosphide
Gallium phosphide is a prominent member of the III-V semiconductor family, characterized by its robust thermodynamic stability. As a material that sits securely on the convex hull, it serves as a reliable foundation for high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. Its semiconducting nature allows for precise control over charge carriers, making it a staple in modern semiconductor physics and materials engineering.
Beyond its fundamental stability, this compound is highly valued for its versatility in light-related applications. It is widely utilized in the manufacturing of various light-emitting components, where its electronic structure enables efficient photon emission. Given its extensive documentation across multiple structural databases, it remains one of the most thoroughly investigated materials in its class.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Gallium phosphide, aggregated across 5 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of GaP. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for GaP, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 1.59 | 0.0000 | -10.731 | 4.13 |
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 1.48 | 0.0000 | -0.431 | — |
| — | — | 1.75 | 0.0003 | -0.534 | — |
| P63mc (No. 186) | hexagonal | 1.30 | 0.0085 | -10.723 | 4.13 |
| — | — | 1.43 | 0.0098 | -0.525 | — |
| P63mc (No. 186) | hexagonal | 1.26 | 0.0118 | -0.419 | — |
| P63mc (No. 186) | hexagonal | 1.26 | 0.0118 | -0.419 | — |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.83 | 0.1342 | -10.597 | 3.98 |
| Pa-3 (No. 205) | cubic | 0.21 | 0.1695 | -10.562 | 4.36 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | 0.00 | 0.3073 | -0.124 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.3949 | -0.036 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.4078 | -0.127 | — |
Applications
Where Gallium phosphide is used.
Patent Landscape
2 patents reference GaP or close compositional variants.
| Patent | Title | Assignee | Granted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4049373 | Apparatus for producing compact polycrystalline InP and GaP ingots | — | — |
| 12084791 | Method of producing large EMI shielded GaAs and GaP infrared windows | — | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Gallium phosphide, answered from cross-validated data.
What is GaP?
Gallium phosphide is a thermodynamically stable III-V semiconductor widely used in the development of light-emitting diodes and other optoelectronic devices.
What is GaP used for?
What is the band gap of GaP?
Is GaP a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is GaP thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of GaP?
What is the density of GaP?
How many polymorphs of GaP are known?
What elements does GaP contain?
Where does the data for GaP come from?
How It Compares
Within the iii-v semiconductors class.
Within the diverse III-V semiconductor class, gallium phosphide occupies a distinct niche compared to siblings like gallium nitride or indium phosphide. While materials such as aluminum phosphide share similar structural motifs, gallium phosphide is often preferred for specific optoelectronic applications due to its favorable balance of stability and electronic performance, distinguishing it from the more specialized or less chemically robust members of the group.
Related Compounds
Other III-V Semiconductors in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
- oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
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