Future Technologies and Applications of III-Nitride Materials and Devices

Abstract

Nobel Prize in Physics 2014 Materials Department of the College of Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Santa Barbara CA 93106-5050, USA © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Engineering Sciences Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) III-nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are now used almost everywhere, due to their energy-saving capability. In the near future, the vast majority of lighting sources will undoubtedly be based on LEDs. What future technologies and applications can we expect from III-nitride-based and particularly gallium nitride (GaN)-based, materials and devices? The new generation of LED technology will be GaN-on-GaN lighting, with laser lighting following as the next opportunity. Ultraviolet A (UVA) light may play an important role in lighting, once it can be used to generate a high-quality white light source. In addition to lighting applications, ultraviolet C (UVC) light, light-based wireless communication (LiFi), laser communication, and electronic devices are the main applications of III-nitride materials and devices in the future.