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

Abstract Glasses in the system Na 2 O/CaO/Al 2 O 3 /In 2 O 3 /As 2 O 3 /SiO 2 were thermally treated at temperatures in the range 650–1000°C. In glasses containing ⩾10 mol% Al 2 O 3 , this led to the crystallization of nanocrystalline In 2 O 3 . At 650°C, a mean crystallite size of 7 nm was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD)-line broadening. In glasses with lower Al 2 O 3 -concentration, In 2 O 3 -crystallization did not occur. Thermal treatment under strongly reducing conditions (H 2 /N 2 gas mixture) resulted in the formation of nanocrystalline InAs. Both materials synthesized are potentially useful for non-linear optics.