We are required to give 4 preliminary 5 minute presentations leading up to a final presentation of 15-20 minutes covering all aspects of our research project. GaN is a semiconductor crystal which has several potential applications. Semiconductors are the basis of the electronics industry, so GaN will be and is used in this field. For example, GaN has several properties that make it possible to be used in blue lasers. Currently green lasers are being used to read the data stored on DVD discs.
Blue lasers have a shorter wavelength than green lasers.
Shorter wavelengths of light are easier to focus so that the light could possibly be focused on multiple layers of data rather than just one. To make these samples very thin I used what is known as the wedge technique. In the wedge technique, the sample is polished by diamond films into the shape of a wedge, as the name implies. The area of study is the thin tip of the wedge shaped sample. This polishing process takes about 8 hours, which seems like a considerable amount of time to spend preparing one sample.