GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials

Gallium nitride and its related III-nitride alloys are wide-bandgap semiconductors whose unusual electronic and optical properties have made them the material basis for modern solid-state lighting, high-efficiency LEDs, and high-power transistors such as AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors used in radar and wireless communications. Researchers study how the atomic structure of these materials — including point defects, impurities, and interfaces — governs performance, often using first-principles quantum-mechanical calculations to predict behavior that is difficult to isolate experimentally. A persistent challenge is suppressing the defects and dislocations that reduce light output and device lifetime, particularly in ultraviolet LEDs where efficiency drops sharply at shorter wavelengths. Current efforts are also exploring nanowire geometries and new alloy compositions as routes to overcome the strain and polarization effects that limit what conventional thin-film device architectures can achieve.

Works

128,962

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1,810,749

Keywords

III-NitridesSemiconductorsLight-Emitting DiodesGaNAlGaN/GaN HEMTsDefects and Impurities