Abstract

Gallium nitride (GaN) is a wide-band-gap III-V compound semiconductor that crystallizes in a hexagonal wurzite structure. Ongoing research pertaining to the growth and preparation of metal nitride thin films has led to the development of crystalline samples by using nonconventional deposition techniques, such as metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) and magnetron sputtering. The renewed experimental activity regarding the characterization of this metal nitride is in part due to the direct band gap of ~3.4 eV in undoped GaN, which can be tailored for the production of tunable electro-optic devices in the UV and visible wavelength range of the spectrum when this material is alloyed with either AlN or InN. Despite the potential for novel optical devices using this semiconducting material, little has been reported in the literature concerning the linear and nonlinear optical properties of GaN thin films.

© 1993 Optical Society of America