In the last two decades basic semiconductor research has increasingly focussed
attention away from cubic crystal III-V and II-VI compounds toward the “widebandgap
semiconductors”Ga, Al, In binary and ternary nitrides, and silicon carbide.
These smaller anion compounds pack more densely in hexagonal crystals, with the
consequence of very high spontaneous and deformation induced electrostatic polarization.
The importance and potential functionality of was rapidly recognized in the late
1990s. In 2000 the Multi-disciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) of
“Polarization Effects in Wide Bandgap Semiconductors” was initiated by the Office
of Naval Research to accelerate and consolidate understanding, engineering
and device application of the extra electro-physical parameter space. The winning
program, “Polaris” by teams centered at UC San Diego, and Cornell University, was
one of the most productive in the history of the MURI program, and is testament to
the value of sponsored collaborative research so ardently defended by the Director
of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) Office of the Secretary of Defense
(OSD).