NSF Award
9760579
*** 9760579 Norris This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to solve the p-type doping problem in III-V nitrides by means of a novel variant on the concept of 'bandgap engineered' doping. It is shown that this approach can enhance the electrical activation of impurities and thus strongly increase the free carrier concentration.'Initial calculations predict p+ material is possible which is of great importance to III-N laser technology. Research in III-V nitride materials has resulted in substantial progress over the last few years including the demonstration of efficient green/blue light-emitting diodes, and lasers emitting in the ultraviolet and the blue part of the optical spectrum. The thermal stability of III-V nitrides and the high radiative efficiency of highly dislocated materials grown on sapphire has led to much interest in the field. However, several significant problems remain to be solved in this new class of materials, One of these issues, the "p-type doping problem' is due to the large thermal activation energy of acceptors in GaN and other III-V nitrides. The commercial applications of p+ doping for low resistance p-contacts are manifold. These include all 111-N LEDs that is: blue, green and yellow , III-N lasers as well as high frequency, high power vertical JFETs for microwave applications.
