We investigated the properties of ion-implanted GaN:Zn annealed under various conditions using photoluminescence (PL) and high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD). Epitaxial GaN/sapphire of high optical quality was ion-implanted with a 1013 cm−2 dose of Zn+ ions at 200 keV. The sample was capped with 200 Å of SiNx and then diced into numerous pieces which were annealed under varied conditions in an attempt to optically activate the Zn. Annealing was performed in a tube furnace under flowing

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... an atmospheric pressure MOCVD reactor under flowing NH3 or N2, and under an N2 overpressure of 190 atm. The observed improvement in the optical quality of GaN:Zn annealed under N2 overpressure yields further insights into the trade-off between defect annealing and N loss from the GaN crystal.