GaN and Nitrides
GaN and related alloys (AlN, InN and its alloys) are transforming the world, and are especially well known for applications in light emitters, such as in blue light emitting diodes and laser diodes. However, they are also having a dramatic impact on the electronic device field. These materials occur in two crystal structures: hexagonal symmetry wurtzite and cubic structure - although the latter is often meta-stable. The majority of applications use nitrides in the wurtzite crystal structure. They have a bandgap ranging from 0.7eV (InN) to 3.4eV (GaN) up to 6eV (AlN).
GaN has an electron mobility superior to many other semiconductors. In addition to this, its large bandgap delivers high breakdown voltage and high operating temperature. The properties of these basic materials make them the ideal candidates for electronic devices. This is why the CDTR’s research focuses on these exciting new materials.
Figure 1. GaN Wurtzite polyhedra