Indium Blog

Gallium Trichloride for Beginners

Category:
  • Indium
  • Indium Corporation
  • Solar

  • I’m not a chemist, so the first time I heard that we sell gallium trichloride (GaCl3) I was wondering “what the heck is this stuff, and what is it used for?” Years later, I’m still not a chemist, but I do understand what gallium trichloride is and what it’s used for.

    Gallium trichloride is a white powder that is typically reacted with dimethylzinc to form trimethylgallium (TMG). TMG is a chemical used to deposit gallium in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. There are many uses of gallium, a very well known product that uses gallium is the light emitting diode (LED). Other popular uses include solar cells, lasers, and sensors.

    Here’s a quick graphic to illustrate:

    In summary: gallium trichloride is an easy way to provide gallium material used to make TMG (which is difficult to handle, but easier to apply than pure gallium). This material is used to redeposit the gallium in a CVD process.

    As with any product that has ‘indium’ or ‘gallium’ in the name; let us know if you have any questions!

    ~Jim

     

    Authored by previous Indium Application Manager Jim Hisert