International Exchange Award: Electrochemical process design for porous nitrides

Rachel Oliver, Professor of Materials Science at The University of Cambridge was awarded an M4QN international exchange award which funded the visit of Florian Meierhofer, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at TU Braunschweig and Matthias Hoormann, a PhD student also at TU Braunschweig to Cambridge. The visit took place from 15-20 March 2026.

Electrochemical process design for porous nitrides

The purpose of the visit to The University of Cambridge was to discuss the subjects of the two groups joint research interests which include the synthesis, characterisation, and application of porous nitrides. In addition to seminars, laboratory tours and discussions of the groups latest research findings and an initial work plan for a new research project has been drafted.

Benefits to the UK materials and quantum community

Compound semiconductors from the nitride family (Al/Ga/In-nitride) are the materials of choice for efficient and compact applications in optoelectronics (e.g., LEDs and blue laser diodes) and power electronics (e.g., HEMTs, converters for DC-DC and DC-AC). In comparison to conventional GaN, “porous GaN” offers a variety of new material properties (e.g., lower refractive index, reduced Young’s modulus, high surface area to volume ratio, reduced thermal/electrical conductivity, among others), and is therefore of particular interest to advance the performance of nitride-based semiconductor devices.

By engaging with the experts from Rachel Oliver’s group, Florian and Matthias gained unique insights into Cambridge’s state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and shared their latest findings and the remaining challenges to gain deeper understanding of the electrochemical etching process used to fabricate porous nitrides.

The shared vision of this new initiative is to enhance a long-term collaborative relationship between the German and British groups.

Visit Outcomes

Florian said that there were two key outcomes from the visit:

– They established collaboration for long-term cooperation: The visit formalised the working relationship between the Nitride Technology Centre at TU Braunschweig in Germany and the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride. This relationship was further strengthened during multiple strategy meetings, where each group shared the latest findings, discussed research capabilities, and mapped out future research directions for an international joint project.

– Ongoing research: Florian and Matthias demonstrated the applicability of ion implantation modification for laterally patterned porous GaN, and they are using FIB tomography analysis in Cambridge to gain a deeper understanding of pore formation mechanisms. The data from this study are currently being prepared for publication.