GaSe

Gallium selenide · Gallium(II) selenide

Gallium selenide is a stable, layered semiconductor material primarily utilized in the development of advanced optical and electronic components.

GaSe
Crystal structure of GaSe (hexagonal, P63/mmc (No. 194))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Gallium selenide

Gallium selenide is a thermodynamically stable compound that crystallizes in a distinct layered arrangement. Its electronic character as a semiconductor makes it a highly versatile material for modern electronic and optical device research.

Because it sits firmly on the convex hull, this material is recognized for its structural reliability. It is widely investigated for its potential in high-frequency applications and light-sensitive technologies where its specific electronic properties can be effectively harnessed.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Gallium selenide, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.68–1.25 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

128
5 databases, 21 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of GaSe. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

Mixed (most: P63/mmc (No. 194))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for GaSe, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal1.210.0000-13.5674.85
——0.970.0000-0.591—
R3m (No. 160)trigonal0.830.0000-0.582—
P-6m2 (No. 187)hexagonal0.680.0000-0.582—
P63/mmc (No. 194)hexagonal1.240.0000-13.5674.85
P-6m2 (No. 187)hexagonal1.250.0003-13.5674.85
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal0.700.0003-0.582—
——0.990.0006-0.591—
P63/mmc (No. 194)hexagonal0.720.0006-0.582—
R3m (No. 160)trigonal1.230.0014-13.5664.60
——0.900.0030-0.588—
——0.970.0039-0.587—
Uses

Applications

Where Gallium selenide is used.

Nonlinear opticsPhotodetectorsOptoelectronic devicesTerahertz wave generation
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Gallium selenide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is GaSe?

Gallium selenide is a stable, layered semiconductor material primarily utilized in the development of advanced optical and electronic components.

More questions
What is GaSe used for?
Gallium selenide (GaSe) is used in nonlinear optics, photodetectors, optoelectronic devices, and terahertz wave generation.
What is the band gap of GaSe?
Gallium selenide (GaSe) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.68–1.25 eV across 128 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is GaSe a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.25 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is GaSe thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Gallium selenide (GaSe) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of GaSe?
The reference structure of Gallium selenide (GaSe) is hexagonal symmetry, space group P63/mmc (No. 194).
What is the density of GaSe?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Gallium selenide (GaSe) is 4.85 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of GaSe are known?
128 structures of GaSe are reported across 5 databases, spanning 21 distinct space groups.
What elements does GaSe contain?
Gallium selenide (GaSe) contains Ga and Se (2 elements).
Where does the data for GaSe come from?
GaSe data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone material in this context, gallium selenide serves as a benchmark for layered semiconductor performance. Its stability and well-documented structural diversity across numerous databases underscore its importance as a foundational material for future semiconductor engineering.

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)
  • 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)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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