| This work targeted the growth of gadolinium (Gd)-doped gallium nitride (GaN) thin films (Ga1-xGdxN) by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Characterization and evaluation of these Ga 1-xGdxN thin films for application in spintronics/optoelectronics devices also formed part of this work.;This work presents: (1) the first report of stable, reproducible n- and p-type Ga1-xGdxN thin films by MOCVD; (2) the first Ga1-xGdxN p-n diode structure; and (3) the first report of a room temperature spin-polarized LED using a Ga1-xGdx N spin injection layer.;The Ga1-xGdxN thin films grown in this work were electrically conductive, and co-doping them with Silicon (Si) or Magnesium (Mg) resulted in n-type and p-type materials, respectively. All the materials and structures grown in this work, including the Ga1-xGdx N-based p-n diode and spin polarized LED, were characterized for their structural, optical, electrical and magnetic properties. The spin-polarized LED gave spin polarization ratio of 22% and systematic variation of this ratio at room temperature with external magnetic field was observed. |
