This is a unique book devoted to the important class of nitride semiconductors and devices. Numerous tables and figures detailing properties and performance devices are compiled. Structural, electrical and optical properties of nitrides and substrates on which they are deposited, band structures of nitrides, optical processes, deposition and fabrication technologies (contacts), dopant incorporation and analyses, pn-junctions, light-emitting diodes, and blue lasers are treated succinctly. Attention is paid to both technological issues and fundamentals.

This timely monograph addresses an important class of semiconductors and devices that constitute the underlying technology for blue lasers. It succinctly treats structural, electrical and optical properties of nitrides and the substrates on which they are deposited, band structures of nitrides, optical processes, deposition and fabrication technologies, light-emitting diodes, and lasers. It also includes many tables and figures detailing the properties and performance of nitride semiconductors and devices.

Over the past five years, there has been an enormous increase in the inter est in and understanding of electronic and optoelectronic devices operating in the picosecond (multigigahertz) range. This has been fueled in a sig nificant way by the spectacular advances in picosecond laser technology, electro optic sampling, III-V devices, and wideband fiber optic systems. Partly to address these advances, a new conference jointly sponsored by the IEEE Lasers and Electrooptics Society (IEEE (LEOS)) and the Op tical Society of America (OSA) was founded and its first meeting held in March 1985. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together work ers in the areas of electronics and optoelectronics who share a common interest in the physics and technology of picosecond solid-state electronic and optoelectronic devices, their multigigahertz applications, and ultrafast measurement techniques. Emphasis was placed on the interdisciplinary as pects of these areas, since each area is covered by its own topical meeting. This meeting was quite successful and led to a second meeting, of which this volume forms the proceedings."

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are already used in traffic signals, signage lighting, and automotive applications. However, its ultimate goal is to replace traditional illumination through LED lamps since LED lighting significantly reduces energy consumption and cuts down on carbon-dioxide emission. Despite dramatic advances in LED technologies (e.g., growth, doping and processing technologies), however, there remain critical issues for further improvements yet to be achieved for the realization of solid-state lighting. This book aims to provide the readers with some contemporary LED issues, which have not been comprehensively discussed in the published books and, on which the performance of LEDs is seriously dependent. For example, most importantly, there must be a breakthrough in the growth of high-quality nitride semiconductor epitaxial layers with a low density of dislocations, in particular, in the growth of Al-rich and and In-rich GaN-based semiconductors. The materials quality is directly dependent on the substrates used, such as sapphire, Si, etc. In addition, efficiency droop, growth on different orientations and polarization are also important. Chip processing and packaging technologies are key issues. This book presents a comprehensive review of contemporary LED issues. Given the interest and importance of future research in nitride semiconducting materials and solid state lighting applications, the contents are very timely. The book is composed of chapters written by leading researchers in III-nitride semiconducting materials and device technology. This book will be of interest to scientists and engineers working on LEDs for lighting applications. Postgraduate researchers working on LEDs will also benefit from the issues this book provides.