SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Technologies and Devices International, Inc., a privately held Maryland corporation (TDI), today announced the achievement of another major breakthrough in Gallium Nitride (GaN) compound semiconductor material growth technology by demonstrating 2-inch diameter GaN templates with p-type electrical conductivity. GaN is the compound semiconductor material used for the fabrication of blue spectrum (blue, green, and ultra violet (UV) and white) light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs) and high-frequency/high-power transistors. While the availability of n-type GaN material has been progressing, the lack of availability of cost effective thick p-type material has hampered development and commercial availability of many types of advanced devices.The p-type GaN template consists of a sapphire substrate and high quality, highly doped, thick p-type GaN epitaxial layering that is grown by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE). The concentration of electrical carriers (holes) in the GaN layer can be varied in a wide range from 1016cm-3 to 1018 cm-3. Based on current industry reported data, only n-type thick GaN layers have been grown by HVPE whereas, the industry has been long awaiting p-type material.“This is the first sampling of p-type GaN templates by HVPE technology. The well-recognized benefits of GaN HVPE growth technology have included low production cost, high material quality, and high growth rate. Combining that with p-type doping capability opens an opportunity to design, develop, and fabricate novel GaN devices that were not previously possible”, points out Vladimir Dmitriev, President and CEO of TDI. “Until now, lack of p-type GaN substrate materials has been a very real and, thereby, a limiting factor for realizing many new and important GaN device designs. TDI’s sampling of p-type templates, using our patented HVPE technology opens a new avenue for GaN device development”. Realizing the importance of getting these into the merchant market as quickly as possible, TDI is planning to move p-type GaN templates into large-volume production in the first quarter of the year 2003. “Our experience in mass production of n-type GaN templates shows that it is a realistic goal," confirms Dr. Dmitriev. TDI has already begun shipping test samples of p-type GaN templates to prospective customers towards this goal.Technologies and Devices International Inc. (TDI)