Growth of GaN Layers on Sapphire by Low‐Temperature‐Deposited Buffer Layers and Realization of p‐type GaN by Magesium Doping and Electron Beam Irradiation (Nobel Lecture)

This Review is a personal reflection on the research that led to the development of a method for growing gallium nitride (GaN) on a sapphire substrate. The results paved the way for the development of smart display systems using blue LEDs. The most important work was done in the mid to late 80s. The background to the author’s work and the process by which the technology that enables the growth of GaN and the realization of p‐type GaN was established are reviewed.