Speaker
Description
Why are the III-nitride semiconductors so unique that they became the second most important
semiconductor material after silicon? Why it was so difficult to prepare high quality nitride
layers? It was so difficult that scientist, which have partly solved this problem were five years
ago awarded by Nobel Prize. What are the most perspective applications for nitrides? What
problems have to be solved in nitride technology? Answers to these four questions concerning
nitride properties, applications, technology and open problems will be presented in our
contribution. We will show how the piezoelectric field in nitride heterostructures can be
utilized in transistors with high electron mobility, but on the other how it can complicate the
carrier confinement in quantum wells and design of optoelectronic applications. Application
in lasers and light emitting diodes, in high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and in
scintillators will be discussed with their advantages and limitations. We will touch also the
most important technological problems and challenges, such as high dislocation density and
possible ways to suppress it, the p-type doping of AlGaN layers, problems with limited
indium atom incorporation. Results of scintillator structure development in our group with the
world record InGaN QW number will be presented.
