In this research, a precipitation method was used to synthesize β-Ga2O3 powders with various particle morphologies and sizes under varying precipitation conditions, such as gallium nitrate concentration, pH, and aging temperature, using ammonium hydroxide and ammonium carbonate as precipitants. The obtained powders were characterized in detail by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, and TG-DSC. From the TG-DSC result, GaOOH phase was transformed to β-Ga2O3 at around 742˚C, and weight loss percent was about 14 % when NH4OH was used as a precipitant. Also, β-Ga2O3 formed at 749˚C and weight loss percent was about 15 % when (NH)2CO3 was used as a precipitant. XRD results showed that the obtained Ga2O3 had pure monoclinic phase in both cases. When (NH)2CO3 was used as a precipitant, the particle shape changed and became irregular. The range of particle size was about 500nm-4μm based on various concentrations of gallium nitrate solution with NH4OH. The particle size was increased from 1-2μm to 3-4μm and particle shape was changed from spherical to bar type by increasing aging temperature over 80˚C.

In this study, GaN powders were synthesized from gallium oxide-hydroxide (GaOOH) through an ammonification process in an NH3 flow with the variation of B2O3 additives within a temperature range of 300-1050˚C. The additive effect of B2O3 on the hexagonal phase GaN powder synthesis route was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transformation infrared transmission (FTIR) spectroscopy. With increasing the mol% of B2O3 additive in the GaOOH precursor powder, the transition temperature and the activation energy for GaN powder formation increased while the GaN synthesis limit-time (tc) shortened. The XPS results showed that Boron compounds of B2O3 and BN coexisted in the synthesized GaN powders. From the FTIR spectra, we were able to confirm that the GaN powder consisted of an amorphous or cubic phase B2O3 due to bond formation between B and O and the amorphous phase BN due to B-N bonds. The GaN powder synthesized from GaOOH and B2O3 mixed powder by an ammonification route through β-Ga2O3 intermediate state. During the ammonification process, boron compounds of B2O3 and BN coated β-Ga2O3 and GaN particles limited further nitridation processes.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the crystalline structure and optical properties of (GaZn)(NO) powders prepared by solid-state reaction between GaOOH and ZnO mixture under NH3 gas flow. While ammoniation of the GaOOH and ZnO mixture successfully produces the single phase of (GaZn)(NO) solid solution within a GaOOH rich composition of under 50 mol% of ZnO content, this process also produces a powder with coexisting (GaZn)(NO) and ZnO in a ZnO rich composition over 50 mol%. The GaOOH in the starting material was phase-transformed to α-, β-Ga2O3 in the NH3 environment; it was then reacted with ZnO to produce ZnGa2O4. Finally, the exchange reaction between nitrogen and oxygen atoms at the ZnGa2O4 powder surface forms a (GaZn)(NO) solid solution. Photoluminescence spectra from the (GaZn)(NO) solid solution consisted of oxygen-related red-emission bands and yellow-, green- and blue-emission bands from the Zn acceptor energy levels in the energy bandgap of the (GaZn)(NO) solid solutions.