InP

Indium phosphide · InP

Indium phosphide is a high-performance semiconductor material essential for the manufacturing of high-speed electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Crystal structure of InP (cubic, F-43m (No. 216))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Indium phosphide

Indium phosphide is a binary III-V semiconductor that occupies a central position in modern materials science due to its robust thermodynamic stability. Its electronic structure makes it a highly efficient material for high-frequency electronic devices and advanced photonic applications.

As a widely studied material with a vast array of documented structural phases, it serves as a cornerstone for high-performance optoelectronic components. Its ability to facilitate rapid electron mobility ensures its continued relevance in the development of next-generation communication technologies.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Indium phosphide, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.45–0.53 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

62
5 databases, 17 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
F-43m (No. 216)cubic0.450.0000-16.1494.71
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal0.530.0039-16.1454.70
Fm-3m (No. 225)cubic0.000.2353-15.9135.70
5.94
P4/mmm (No. 123)Tetragonal5.70
P63mc (No. 186)
F-43m (No. 216)
F-43m (No. 216)Cubic4.58
P63mc (No. 186)
Cmcm (No. 63)Orthorhombic5.86
Fm-3m (No. 225)
F-43m (No. 216)Cubic4.76
Uses

Applications

Where Indium phosphide is used.

Fiber-optic communicationsHigh-frequency transistorsPhotodetectorsSolar cellsLaser diodes
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Indium phosphide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is InP?

Indium phosphide is a high-performance semiconductor material essential for the manufacturing of high-speed electronic and optoelectronic devices.

More questions
What is InP used for?
Indium phosphide (InP) is used in fiber-optic communications, high-frequency transistors, photodetectors, solar cells, and laser diodes.
What is the band gap of InP?
Indium phosphide (InP) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.45–0.53 eV across 62 reported structures.
Is InP a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.53 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is InP thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Indium phosphide (InP) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of InP?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Indium phosphide (InP) is cubic symmetry, space group F-43m (No. 216).
What is the density of InP?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Indium phosphide (InP) is 4.71 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of InP are known?
62 structures of InP are reported across 5 databases, spanning 17 distinct space groups.
What elements does InP contain?
Indium phosphide (InP) contains In and P (2 elements).
Where does the data for InP come from?
InP data is cross-referenced from materials_project, omat24, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the iii-v semiconductors class.

Within the family of III-V semiconductors, indium phosphide is distinguished by its superior carrier mobility compared to wide-gap members like aluminum nitride or gallium nitride, making it better suited for high-speed signal processing and infrared detection.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other III-V Semiconductors in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • omat24 — Data from OMat24 (Meta FAIR). Cite: Barroso-Luque et al., arXiv 2410.12771 (2024).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

Analyze InP in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 53 integrated data sources.

Explore the Platform →