University of California

Osram Sylvania Inc.

Jonathan H Tao

Keith A Klinedinst

Bing Han

Madis Raukas

Kailash A Mishra

Jan B Talbot

Rare earth-activated aluminum nitride powders are made using a solution-based approach to form a mixed hydroxide of aluminum and a rare earth metal, the mixed hydroxide is then converted into an ammonium metal fluoride, preferably a rare earth-substituted ammonium aluminum hexafluoride ((NH)AlREF), and finally the rare earth-activated aluminum nitride is formed by ammonolysis of the ammonium metal fluoride at a high temperature. The use of a fluoride precursor in this process avoids sources of oxygen during the final ammonolysis step which is a major source of defects in the powder synthesis of nitrides. Also, because the aluminum nitride is formed from a mixed hydroxide co-precipitate, the distribution of the dopants in the powder is substantially homogeneous in each particle.

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Oceanside, CA, United States of America

Jonathan H Tao