the first St. Petersburg scientists in Russia were able to grow a bulk monocrystalline ingot of gallium oxide. Work on getting this monocrystal took about five years.
I Raised the first example of the semiconductor staff of the ITMO University. As the press service of the University, the interest in creating crystals of gallium oxide have arisen in the scientific community about eight years ago. This Explorer properties a bit like a diamond, gallium oxide absorbs UV radiation specifically, and it can be used in solar-blind detectors.
the University cite the example of the flight of the rocket, when its nozzle is the ultraviolet radiation. Conventional instrumentation is nothing to fix not be due to a glow, but the solar-blind sensor will allow you to see everything you need, as if there is no lighting.
Also, the gallium oxide large band gap that makes it resistant to ionizing radiation, so that in the future, this semiconductor can be used in the nuclear industry or space electronics.
Domestic science of gallium oxide and acutely knew they were interested in, but until recently, single crystals of this guide were able to grow only in Germany, USA and Japan. Now this technology is in Russia.
the University ITMO lift the veil of secrecy. Crystal “cook” in the crucible, special containers for melting. There fill up powder of gallium oxide, is heated, and then immersed in the melt a seed, when it is extrusion formed crystal. The technology of growing crystals known to scientists for a long time, but with gallium oxide, the problem was that the composition of this substance is not stable and melting of the oxide releases oxygen. If the installation of fill, such as argon, is formed of metal gallium, which forms an alloy with the material from which made the metal container. In the end, the scientists took a crucibles made of iridium, which does not react with oxygen at high temperatures. And as the seed which grew the crystal used is sapphire. It managed to grow the polycrystal gallium oxide, which went on the creation of new basic structures. On the basis of one of them and obtained the first single crystal.
Now in high school working on fixing this technology.
