It is an inorganic semiconductor with a band gap of 1.0 eV.
[2] Zinc arsenide can be prepared by the reaction of zinc with arsenic Zn3As2 has a room-temperature tetragonal form that converts to a different tetragonal phase at 190 °C and to a third phase at 651 °C.
The crystalline structure of zinc arsenide is very similar to that of cadmium arsenide (Cd3As2), zinc phosphide (Zn3P2) and cadmium phosphide (Cd3P2).
These compounds of the Zn-Cd-P-As quaternary system exhibit full continuous solid-solution.
[4] Its lowest direct and indirect bandgaps are within 30 meV of each other.