Viscosity of Molten GaSb and InSb

Viscosities of molten GaSb and InSb as III–V compound semiconductors were measured using an oscillating viscometer to study the thermophysical properties of semiconductor melts. A specially designed quartz crucible was used to prevent the evaporation of Sb from the melts. The measurements were performed in the temperature ranges from the melting point to about 1490 K for GaSb and from supercooled temperatures to about 1340 K for InSb. The viscosities obtained for both GaSb and InSb showed good Arrhenius linearity despite their wide temperature ranges. The activation energies of GaSb and InSb were almost the same, although the absolute viscosity of GaSb was slightly higher than that of InSb. It was concluded that most semiconductors including Si and Ge show Arrhenius behavior and have a low viscosity. The reason for the low viscosity is considered to be related to their melt structure, which may be similar to that of molten metals with low melting points.