Editing Gallium nitride (section)

{{Short description|Chemical semiconductor compound}}
{{About|Gallium nitride, the chemical compound||Gan (disambiguation){{!}}Gan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Chembox
| Watchedfields = changed
| verifiedrevid = 476994965
| Name = Gallium nitride
| ImageFile = GaNcrystal.jpg
| ImageFile2 = GaN Wurtzite polyhedra.png
| IUPACName = Gallium nitride
| OtherNames = gallium(III) nitride
| Section1 =
 {{Chembox Identifiers
 | ChemSpiderID_Ref = {{chemspidercite|correct|chemspider}}
 | ChemSpiderID = 105057
 | InChI = 1/Ga.N/rGaN/c1-2
 | SMILES = [Ga]#N
 | SMILES1 = [Ga+3].[N-3]
 | InChIKey = JMASRVWKEDWRBT-MDMVGGKAAI
 | StdInChI_Ref = {{stdinchicite|correct|chemspider}}
 | StdInChI = 1S/Ga.N
 | StdInChIKey_Ref = {{stdinchicite|correct|chemspider}}
 | StdInChIKey = JMASRVWKEDWRBT-UHFFFAOYSA-N
 | CASNo = 25617-97-4
 | CASNo_Ref = {{cascite|correct|CAS}}
 | UNII_Ref = {{fdacite|correct|FDA}}
 | UNII = 1R9CC3P9VL
 | PubChem =  = LW9640000
 }}
| Section2 =
 {{Chembox Properties
 | Formula = GaN
 | MolarMass = 83.730 g/mol<ref name=b92/>
 | Appearance = yellow powder
 | Density = 6.1 g/cm<sup>3</sup><ref name=b92>{{RubberBible92nd|page=4.64}}</ref>
 | Solubility = Insoluble<ref>{{Cite journal|title=abstract NCSU study: Aqueous Stability of Ga- and N-Polar Gallium Nitride|journal=Langmuir|volume=29|issue=1|pages=216–220|doi=10.1021/la304039n|pmid=23227805|year = 2013|last1 = Foster|first1 = Corey M.|last2=Collazo|first2=Ramon|last3=Sitar|first3=Zlatko|last4=Ivanisevic|first4=Albena}}</ref>
 | MeltingPt = >&nbsp;1600&nbsp;°C<ref name=b92/><ref name=melting>{{cite journal|title = Molecular dynamics simulation for evaluating melting point of wurtzite-type GaN crystal| doi = 10.1063/1.1772878|journal = Journal of Applied Physics|volume = 96| page = 2501|year = 2004| issue = 5|bibcode = 2004JAP....96.2501H|last1 = Harafuji|first1 = Kenji|last2 = Tsuchiya|first2 = Taku|last3 = Kawamura|first3 = Katsuyuki }}</ref>
 | BoilingPt =
 | pKb =
 | BandGap = 3.4&nbsp;eV (300&nbsp;K, direct)
 | ElectronMobility = 1500&nbsp;cm<sup>2</sup>/(V·s) (300&nbsp;K)<ref>{{cite book|author4=Alex Lidow|author1=Johan Strydom|author2=Michael de Rooij|author3=David Reusch|title=GaN Transistors for efficient power conversion|date=2019|publisher=Wiley|location=California, USA|isbn=978-1-119-59442-0|page=3|edition=3}}</ref>
 | ThermalConductivity = 1.3&nbsp;W/(cm·K) (300&nbsp;K)<ref>Mion, Christian (2005). [http://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/ir/bitstream/1840.16/5418/1/etd.pdf "Investigation of the Thermal Properties of Gallium Nitride Using the Three Omega Technique"], Thesis, North Carolina State University.</ref>
 | RefractIndex = 2.429
 }}
| Section3 =
 {{Chembox Structure
 | CrystalStruct = [[Wurtzite (crystal structure)|Wurtzite]]
 | SpaceGroup = ''C''<sub>6v</sub><sup>4</sup>-''P''6<sub>3</sub>''mc''
 | Coordination = Tetrahedral
 | LattConst_a = 318.6&nbsp;pm
 | LattConst_c = 518.6&nbsp;pm<ref>Bougrov V., Levinshtein M.E., Rumyantsev S.L., Zubrilov A., in ''Properties of Advanced Semiconductor Materials GaN, AlN, InN, BN, SiC, SiGe''. Eds. Levinshtein M.E., Rumyantsev S.L., Shur M.S., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2001, 1–30</ref>
 }}
| Section5 =
 {{Chembox Thermochemistry
 | DeltaHf = −110.2&nbsp;kJ/mol<ref name=b92t>{{RubberBible92nd|page=5.12}}</ref>
 | Entropy =
 | DeltaGf =
 | HeatCapacity =
 }}
| Section7 =
 {{Chembox Hazards
 | ExternalSDS = {{Sigma-Aldrich|id=481769|name=Gallium nitride|accessdate=18 February 2024}}
 | FlashPt = Non-flammable
 | GHSPictograms = {{GHS07}}
 | GHSSignalWord = Warning
 | HPhrases = {{H-phrases|317}}
 | PPhrases = {{P-phrases|261|272|280|302+352|321|333+313|501}}
 | NFPA-H = 2
 | NFPA-F = 0
 | NFPA-I = 0
 | NFPA_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fishersci.com/store/msds?partNumber=AA4021818&productDescription=GALL%28III%29+NITRIDE+99.99%25+50G&vendorId=VN00024248&countryCode=US&language=en|title=Safety Data Sheet|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2020|website=fishersci.com|publisher=Thermo Fisher Science|access-date=18 February 2024}}
</ref>
 }}
| Section8 =
 {{Chembox Related
 | OtherAnions = [[Gallium phosphide]]<br />[[Gallium arsenide]]<br />[[Gallium antimonide]]
 | OtherCations = [[Boron nitride]]<br />[[Aluminium nitride]]<br />[[Indium nitride]]
 | OtherFunction_label =
 | OtherFunction =
 | OtherCompounds = [[Aluminium gallium arsenide]]<br />[[Indium gallium arsenide]]<br />[[Gallium arsenide phosphide]]<br />[[Aluminium gallium nitride]]<br />[[Indium gallium nitride]]
 }}
}}

'''Gallium nitride''' ('''{{chem2|auto=1|GaN}}''') is a binary [[boron group|III]]/[[nitrogen group|V]] [[direct bandgap]] [[semiconductor]] commonly used in blue [[light-emitting diode]]s since the 1990s. The [[compound (chemistry)|compound]] is a very hard material that has a [[Wurtzite crystal structure]]. Its wide [[band gap]] of 3.4&nbsp;[[electronvolt|eV]] affords it [[wide-bandgap semiconductor#Materials properties|special properties]] for applications in [[optoelectronic|optoelectronics]],<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Czelej | first1 = K. | title = Atomistic Origins of Various Luminescent Centers and n-Type Conductivity in GaN: Exploring the Point Defects Induced by Cr, Mn, and O through an Ab Initio Thermodynamic Approach | doi = 10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c00178 | journal = Chemistry of Materials | volume = 36 | issue = 13 | pages = 6392–6409 | year = 2024| pmc = 11238542 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Di Carlo | first1 = A. | doi = 10.1002/1521-396X(200101)183:1<81::AID-PSSA81>3.0.CO;2-N | title = Tuning Optical Properties of GaN-Based Nanostructures by Charge Screening | journal = Physica Status Solidi A | volume = 183 | issue = 1 | pages = 81–85 | year = 2001 |bibcode = 2001PSSAR.183...81D }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Arakawa | first1 = Y. | title = Progress in GaN-based quantum dots for optoelectronics applications | doi = 10.1109/JSTQE.2002.801675 | journal = IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics | volume = 8 | issue = 4 | pages = 823–832 | year = 2002 | bibcode = 2002IJSTQ...8..823A }}</ref> high-power and high-frequency devices. For example, GaN is the substrate that makes violet (405&nbsp;nm) laser diodes possible, without requiring nonlinear optical [[Second-harmonic generation|frequency doubling]].

Its sensitivity to [[ionizing radiation]] is low (like other [[boron group|group III]] [[nitride]]s), making it a suitable material for [[solar cell]] arrays for [[satellite]]s. Military and space applications could also benefit as [[Radiation hardening|devices have shown stability in high radiation environments]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Enhancement Mode Gallium Nitride (eGaN) FET Characteristics under Long Term Stress|url=http://epc-co.com/epc/documents/articles/eGaN_FET_Characteristics_under_Long_Term_Stress.pdf|author1=Lidow, Alexander |author2=Witcher, J. Brandon |author3=Smalley, Ken |location=GOMAC Tech Conference|date=March 2011}}</ref>

Because GaN transistors can operate at much higher temperatures and work at much higher voltages than [[gallium arsenide]] (GaAs) transistors, they make ideal power amplifiers at microwave frequencies. In addition, GaN offers promising characteristics for [[Terahertz radiation|THz]] devices.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ahi|first=Kiarash|date=September 2017|title=Review of GaN-based devices for terahertz operation|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319639902|journal=Optical Engineering|volume=56|issue=9|pages=090901|via=SPIE|bibcode=2017OptEn..56i0901A|doi=10.1117/1.OE.56.9.090901|doi-access=free}}</ref> Due to high power density and voltage breakdown limits GaN is also emerging as a promising candidate for 5G cellular base station applications. Since the early 2020s, GaN power transistors have come into increasing use in [[Power supply|power supplies]] in electronic equipment, converting [[Alternating current|AC]] [[mains electricity]] to low-voltage [[Direct current|DC]].