Si- and Mg-doped GaN layers were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates
by molecular beam epitaxy with NH3 as the nitrogen precursor. Their op
tical and electrical properties were investigated by photoluminescence
experiments and Hall measurements, respectively. P-type conductivity,
with a net acceptor concentration of 3x10(17) cm(-3) and a mobility o
f 8 cm(2)/V s, was obtained. Mesa-etched light-emitting diodes were pr
ocessed from p-n junctions. The turn-on voltage is 3 V and the forward
current reaches 20 mA at 3.5 V. The room-temperature electroluminesce
nce exhibits a strong emission at 390 nm. (C) 1998 American Institute
of Physics.