The crystallization of indium containing semiconductive phases from a soda–lime–aluminosilicate glass

Glasses in the system Na2O/CaO/Al2O3/In2O3/As2O3/SiO2 were thermally treated at temperatures in the range 650–1000°C. In glasses containing ⩾10 mol% Al2O3, this led to the crystallization of nanocrystalline In2O3. At 650°C, a mean crystallite size of 7 nm was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD)-line broadening. In glasses with lower Al2O3-concentration, In2O3-crystallization did not occur. Thermal treatment under strongly reducing conditions (H2/N2 gas mixture) resulted in the formation of nanocrystalline InAs. Both materials synthesized are potentially useful for non-linear optics.