Institute of High Pressure Physics

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to the next IHPP PAS Seminar on Nitride Semiconductors. The talk will be held in a hybrid mode – at the seminar room in New Technologies building, Al. Prymasa Tysiąclecia 98, and through Zoom platform (to get the link, please contact us at nitride_seminar@mail.unipress.waw.pl ).

The talk is scheduled on Thursday 16.10.2025 at 15:00 CEST.

Speaker: Chandrashekhar Savant (Cornell University, Ithaca, USA)

Title: Epitaxy of Novel High-K, Ferroelectric Nitrides, and Integration on GaN HEMTs

Abstract: Link

Sincerely,

Tadeusz Suski
Piotr Perlin
Anna Kafar

The Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) has awarded the Institute of High Pressure Physics PAS funding to develop the Centre for Physics and Technology of Nitride Semiconductors “GaN-Unipress.” The International Research Agendas Programme (IRAP FENG) focuses on industrial research and experimental development (basic research is not funded).

Leadership and structure
Project integrates the full spectrum of activities "from material to specific device" in one dedicated center. The IRAP Director is Prof. Michał Boćkowski (IHPP PAS), who also leads WP3. Work-package leaders are: Dr Robert Kucharski (WP1), Dr Tomasz Sochacki (WP2), and Assoc. Prof. Paweł Kempisty (WP4).

The project encompasses four research areas, forming a complete value chain – from material to device and design algorithms:

• WP1: Ammonothermal GaN crystal growth and high-quality substrates (targeting 4-inch GaN).
• WP2: GaN-on-GaN power diodes (p-n, p-i-n, Schottky/JBS) with low losses and high breakdown voltages.
• WP3: Rare-earth-doped GaN as a platform for single-photon sources and quantum sensors, leveraging the proprietary ion implantation + ultra-high-pressure annealing (I/I+UHPA) route.
• WP4: Materials informatics — AI/ML for growth, device design and diagnostics.

Key partnerships
The project will be supported by strong partnerships. WP3 will be developed with the Solid-State Physics Division, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, while WP4 is supported by the AI and Computational Methods Division, Faculty of Mathematics and Information Science, Warsaw University of Technology. Our strategic international partner is CNR-IMM, Italy (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi), including the team of Dr Fabrizio Roccaforte.

Impact
By integrating state-of-the-art GaN materials and devices with AI-driven optimisation, “GaN-Unipress” will accelerate advances in power electronics and quantum technologies with strong pathways to commercialisation, strengthening Poland’s position on the global map of nitride semiconductor research.

Find out more about the IRA Programme and Call 2/2025 results.

We are pleased to announce the 10th Winter Workshop Kalatówki - a unique scientific meeting dedicated to the physics and technology of group-III nitride semiconductors, including InGaN-based laser diodes, LEDs, quantum emitters, and novel optoelectronic devices. It organized on March 15-20, 2026.

The workshop continues the long-standing tradition of informal and inspiring discussions held in the beautiful scenery of the Tatra Mountains. Researchers are invited to share their latest results, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaborations in a relaxed atmosphere of the Kalatówki mountain lodge. As in the previous Workshop editions, attendance is by invitation only.

Topics include:

• Epitaxial growth and processing of III-N structures
• Optical and electrical characterization
• Laser diodes, micro-LEDs, and photonic integration
• Quantum devices and defects in nitrides
• Novel applications in communication, sensing, and metrology

A public defense of the doctoral dissertation of Julia Sławińska, MSc Eng, will be held on 10 October 2025 (Friday) at 12:00 p.m. in the seminar room of the Institute of High Pressure Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, in Warsaw, 29/37 Sokołowska St.

Dissertation title: Ion implanted (In,Ga)N micro-light-emitting diodes with tunnel junction

Full text of the announcement

The dissertation and reviews are available here

Elastic isotropy is a phenomenon in which a material responds uniformly to stress, regardless of its direction. In the case of cubic crystals, which possess distinct crystallographic directions, this is an unusual manifestation of quantum mechanics in macroscopic objects. This crystal behavior cannot be explained within the framework of classical physics. This phenomenon is closely related to the balancing of internal forces resulting from Coulomb interactions, Pauli repulsion, and band overlap under the influence of stress on the crystal.

In the recent paper by C. Sobczak, P. Kwasniak, P. Strak, M. Muzyk, and S. Krukowski, "Elastic Anisotropy in BCC Ti-X Alloys (X = V, Nb, Ta) Determined from First Principles," published in Materials, 2025, 18(18), 4294, our PhD student Cyprian Sobczak described the anisotropy of titanium alloy crystals. This work was developed in collaboration between a group of theoreticians from our Institute and from the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw.

Authors identificatied a new titanium-niobium alloy with a 53% niobium content, Ti-53Nb, exhibiting elastic isotropy. Calculations also showed that this phenomenon cannot occur in the case of titanium-tantalum alloys, Ti-Ta, regarding the mechanical stability of these alloys. The publication summarizes the main trends exhibited by the elastic constants, Young's modulus, and bulk modulus of the Ti-based alloys discussed, based on ab initio methods. See more details here.

Figure. A comparison of trends observed in Ti-X alloys (X = V, Nb, Ta, Mo): (a) C11 elastic constant, (b) C12 elastic constant, (c) C44 elastic constant, (d) C′ = (C11 − C12)/2, (e) bulk modulus B, and (f) Young’s modulus E, determined using PBE.