Description

• General description: Germanium(VI) oxide, also known as germania or germanium dioxide, is a white or off-white powder. It is a refractory metal oxide with a high melting point (1,600 °C) and offers excellent chemical resistance. In addition, germanium(VI) oxide has excellent optoelectronic properties that have made it a valuable material in the semiconducting industry. It has a high refractive index of approximately 2.1, which is higher than that of many other semiconductor materials, and a low absorption coefficient. These properties make it useful for applications such as waveguides, antireflective coatings, and high-index contrast coatings. In addition, germanium(VI) has a high bandgap of about 3.1 eV coupled with relatively high transparency in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, which makes it useful for applications such as infrared detectors, LEDs, and solar cells.
• Application: Building block for inorganic nanowires.[1] Used in the synthesis of ultra-high refractive index and ultra-low loss optical waveguides.[2]