Progress Toward Making Gallium Nitride Seed Crystals Using Hydride Vapor‐Phase Epitaxy

The essential steps required to create GaN seed crystals for bulk crystal growth from thick films are described. These steps include the growth of low‐dislocation‐density GaN films using a hydride vapor‐phase epitaxy route, the separation of the films from the sapphire substrate on which they are grown, and the subsequent growth of GaN on both sides of the free‐standing films. These steps are illustrated with examples that emphasize the growth of material with low threading dislocations.