Abstract

The success of GaN-based lasers and LED devices is based on the ability to activate magnesium ions as acceptors. The initial failures in p-doping stems from the role of hydrogen that is present in samples grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) which passivates the Mg ions through the formation of stable Mg-H-N complexes. The breakthrough came with the discovery that proper thermal annealing and low electron beam irradiation (LEEBI) were effective in breaking up these complexes and activating the Mg acceptors [1,2]. There is mounting evidence that hydrogen plays a similar decisive role in the realization of electrically-pumped rare-earth based light emitters in GaN.

© 2013 IEEE