Transmission electron microscopy studies were applied to study GaN crystals doped with Mg. Both: bulk GaN:Mg crystals grown by a high pressure and high temperature process and those grown by metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) have been studied. Structural dependence on growth polarity was observed in the bulk crystals. Spontaneous ordering (formation of polytypoids) was observed for growth in the N to Ga polar direction (N polarity). On the opposite site of the crystal (growth in the Ga to N polar direction) Mg-rich pyramidal defects with base on the basal planes and with walls inclined about 45O to these planes, empty inside (pinholes) were observed. A high concentration of these pyramidal defects was also observed in the MOCVD grown crystals. For samples grown with Mg delta doping planar defects were also observed especially at the early stages of growth followed by formation of pyramidal defects. TEM and x-ray studies of InxGa1-xN crystals for the range of 28-45 percent nominal In concentration shows formation of two sub-layers: strained and relaxed, with a much lower In concentration in the strained layer. Layers with the highest In concentration were fully relaxed.

Data are presented on the insulating properties and capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristics of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) device-thickness (below approx. 100 nm) native oxides formed by wet thermal oxidation of thin InAlP epilayers lattice matched to GaAs. Low leakage current densities of J=1.4 x 10-9 A/cm2 and J=8.7 x 10-11 A/cm2 are observed at an applied field of 1 MV/cm for MOS capacitors fabricated with 17 nm and 48 nm oxides, respectively. TEM images show that the In-rich interfacial particles which exist in 110 nm oxides are absent in 17 nm oxide films. Quasi-static capacitance-voltage measurements of MOS capacitors fabricated on both n-type and p-type GaAs show that the InAlP oxide-GaAs interface is sufficiently free of traps to support inversion, indicating an unpinned Fermi level. These data suggest that InAlP native oxides may be a viable insulator for GaAs MOS device applications.