InSb
Indium antimonide · InSb
Indium antimonide is a thermodynamically stable III-V semiconductor used primarily in infrared sensors and high-speed electronic devices.
About Indium antimonide
Indium antimonide is a prominent member of the III-V semiconductor family, distinguished by its thermodynamic stability and position on the convex hull. Its electronic profile is characterized by a metallic nature, setting it apart from many traditional wide-gap insulators within the same group.
This material is highly valued in advanced optoelectronics and sensing technologies. Due to its extensive structural data, it remains a heavily researched compound for applications requiring high carrier mobility and sensitivity to infrared radiation.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Indium antimonide, aggregated across 6 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 InSb. 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 InSb, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 0.26 | 0.0000 | -0.133 | — |
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -0.094 | — |
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -0.094 | — |
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -24.380 | 5.38 |
| P63mc (No. 186) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0058 | -24.375 | 5.57 |
| — | — | 0.15 | 0.0110 | -0.122 | — |
| P63mc (No. 186) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0126 | -0.081 | — |
| Cmcm (No. 63) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.0708 | -0.023 | — |
| Cmcm (No. 63) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.0711 | -0.023 | — |
| Imm2 (No. 44) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.0901 | -0.004 | — |
| I-4m2 (No. 119) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.0903 | -0.003 | — |
| Pmmn (No. 59) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.0970 | 0.003 | — |
Applications
Where Indium antimonide is used.
Patent Landscape
1 patent reference InSb or close compositional variants.
| Patent | Title | Assignee | Granted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5494711 | Method of preparing InSb thin film | — | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Indium antimonide, answered from cross-validated data.
What is InSb?
Indium antimonide is a thermodynamically stable III-V semiconductor used primarily in infrared sensors and high-speed electronic devices.
What is InSb used for?
What is the band gap of InSb?
Is InSb a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is InSb thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of InSb?
How many polymorphs of InSb are known?
What elements does InSb contain?
Where does the data for InSb come from?
How It Compares
Within the iii-v semiconductors class.
Unlike its siblings such as AlN or GaN, which are typically recognized as wide-gap semiconductors, InSb exhibits a distinct metallic character. While materials like AlAs and InP are frequently employed for their specific insulating or light-emitting properties, InSb is prioritized for its exceptional performance in infrared detection and high-speed electronic components.
Related Compounds
Other III-V Semiconductors in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- 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)
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
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