This year's nitride symposium showed the scope of nitride-related advances spanning basic materials physics over process technology to high-performance devices. Progress was reported in bulk growth of GaN and AlN, growth on various substrates and substrate orientations, optical properties of InN, defect and doping analysis of p-doped GaN, and polarization properties. These led to new performance records in visible light emitter technology, i.e., higher efficiency/higher brightness, UV emitters with shorter wavelength, and UV and photo detectors. Advances in the development of nitride-based electronic devices with new heterostructure FET designs for RF power applications, including those on Si substrates and wafer fusion, are also reported. This book captures the exciting developments in this rapidly progressing field. Topics include: epitaxy - devices and defect reduction; defects and characterization; epitaxy - nonpolar orientations and alloys; optical properties; UV emitters and detectors; visible light emitters; electronic devices; characterization of defects and transport; and contacts, processing and p-type nitrides.

Symposium L, "GaN and Related Alloys-2002," was held December 2-6 at the 2002 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts During nine half-day oral sessions, nine invited talks and 53 contributed talks were given in three poster sessions, 161 posters were presented. This year's nitride symposium again was characterized by a wide scope of nitride related advances spanning from basic materials physics over process technology to high performance devices. Strong development was reported in bulk growth of GaN and AIN, growth on various substrates and substrate orientations, optical properties of InN, defect and doping analysis of p-doped GaN, and full consideration of polarization properties. These led to new performance records in visible light emitter technology, i.e., higher efficiency/higher brightness, UV emitters with shorter wavelength, and UV and photo detectors. A strong development is also seen in nitride-based electronic devices with new heterostructure FET designs for RF power applications including such on Si substrates and wafer fusion. These symposium proceedings capture a crosscut of the exciting developments in this rapidly progressing and commercializing field. This volume will be useful for researchers working in the field of nitrides, and for students who seek entry into the subject.

The unique materials properties of GaN-based semiconductors havestimulated a great deal of interest in research and developmentregarding nitride materials growth and optoelectronic andnitride-based electronic devices. High electron mobility andsaturation velocity, high sheet carrier concentration atheterojunction interfaces, high breakdown field, and low thermalimpedance of GaN-based films grown over SiC or bulk AlN substratesmake nitride-based electronic devices very promising.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.