Recent progress in cubic GaN epilayers and InGaN/GaN quantum wells

Binks, D. J., Dyer, D., Fieldhouse-Allen, W. R. and Wallis, D. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0475-7583 2026. Recent progress in cubic GaN epilayers and InGaN/GaN quantum wells. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 59 (25) , 253002. 10.1088/1361-6463/ae7b4e

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Abstract

InGaN/GaN quantum wells grown in the hexagonal wurtzite phase are the basis of the LED technology that is increasingly being adopted for many lighting applications. However, whilst efficient for emission in the blue and at moderate brightness, these devices suffer significant losses when emitting at longer wavelengths and at high brightness. The alternative cubic zincblende crystal phase offers a potential solution to these challenges. When grown along the [001] direction, it is free of the strong polarisation fields across the quantum wells that act to reduce the rate of radiative recombination in wurtzite LEDs. Cubic GaN also benefits from a reduced bandgap compared to hexagonal GaN, reducing the indium content required to achieve longer wavelength emission and thus alleviating some of the negative effects of high indium concentration in quantum wells. The recognition of these potential advantages has revived an interest in cubic GaN in the past few years, and this review will describe the recent progress that has been made in the growth of phase-pure cubic GaN epilayers and InGaN/GaN quantum wells, their emission properties and the key influence of quantum well microstructure on their performance and behaviour. It will also detail the work that has been done toward cubic LED devices and will conclude with an outlook on the future of this promising lighting technology.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Engineering
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Type: cc-by
Publisher:	IOP Publishing
ISSN:	0022-3727
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 June 2026
Date of Acceptance:	10 June 2026
Last Modified:	30 Jun 2026 10:46
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187828

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