Synthesis of bulk polycrystalline indium nitride at subatmospheric pressures

Polycrystalline, wurtzitic indium nitride was synthesized by saturating indium with nitrogen from microwave plasma sources. The structure was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, and elemental analysis. Two types of growth were observed: (i) dendritic crystals on the original melt surface, and (ii) hexagonal platelets adjacent to the In metal source on the upper edge of the crucible. The method does not involve a foreign substrate to initiate growth and is a potential alternative to the high-pressure techniques normally associated with bulk growth of indium nitride. The lattice parameters were a = 3.5366 ± 0.0005 Å and c = 5.7009 ± 0.0005 Å, with c/a = 1.612 ± 0.0005.