GeH4
Germane · Germanium tetrahydride
Germane is a stable, gaseous germanium hydride widely utilized as a chemical precursor for the production of semiconductor materials and thin films.
About Germane
Germane is a volatile inorganic hydride consisting of a central germanium atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms. As a thermodynamically stable compound, it serves as a critical gaseous source of high-purity germanium for advanced material synthesis. Its insulating electronic character makes it a specialized reagent in chemical vapor deposition rather than a functional electronic material itself. The compound is widely recognized for its role in the epitaxial growth of silicon-germanium alloys, which are essential for high-speed microelectronics. Its stability allows for precise control during the manufacturing of complex semiconductor architectures.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Germane, aggregated across 3 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.
Applications
Where Germane is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Germane, answered from cross-validated data.
What is GeH4?
Germane is a stable, gaseous germanium hydride widely utilized as a chemical precursor for the production of semiconductor materials and thin films.
What is GeH4 used for?
What is the band gap of GeH4?
Is GeH4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is GeH4 thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of GeH4 are known?
What elements does GeH4 contain?
Where does the data for GeH4 come from?
Related Research
How It Compares
As a primary hydride in its chemical family, germane functions as the foundational germanium-based precursor for thin-film technology, representing the standard gaseous delivery method for incorporating germanium into solid-state devices.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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