DESIGN OF A MONOMERIC ARSINOGALLANE AND CHEMICAL CONVERSION TO GALLIUM-ARSENIDE

A monomeric arsinogallane containing a covalent gallium-arsenic bond has been prepared, and its molecular structure has been determined by x-ray crystallography. The compound reacted with tert-butanol at ambient temperature to yield the III-V semiconductor gallium arsenide as a finely divided amorphous solid. During the initial stages of the reaction small clusters of gallium arsenide were apparently present in solution. The band gaps of these particles, as observed by their absorption spectra, were larger than that of the bulk material. This work is a step toward the development of new molecular precursors for technologically important materials and the study of quantum size effects in small semiconductor particles.