Aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN) is a wide-bandgapsemiconductor material. It is an alloy ofaluminium nitride andgallium nitride.
Thebandgap of AlxGa1-xN can be tailored to range from 3.4 eV (bandgap of GaN) to 6.2 eV (bandgap of AlN) depending on the AlN mole fraction,[1]
AlGaN is used to manufacturelight-emitting diodes operating in the blue toultraviolet region of the spectrum. Emission wavelengths in the far-UV region (around 250 nm) have been achieved, with some research teams reporting emission with wavelengths as short as 222 nm[2] and 210 nm[3].
AlGaN is also used in bluesemiconductor lasers, detectors ofultraviolet radiation, and AlGaN/GaNhigh-electron-mobility transistors.
AlGaN is often used together withgallium nitride oraluminium nitride to formheterojunctions.
AlGaN layers are commonly grown onGallium nitride, onsapphire or (111) Si substrates, and almost always with additional GaN layers.
The toxicology of AlGaN has not been fully investigated. The AlGaN dust is an irritant to skin, eyes and lungs. The environment, health and safety aspects of aluminium gallium nitride sources (such astrimethylgallium andammonia) and industrial hygiene monitoring studies of standardMOVPE sources have been reported recently in a review.[4]