Structural study of gallium oxynitrides prepared by ammonolysis of different oxide precursors

A comparative structural study has been carried out on gallium oxynitride powders using XRD and Raman spectroscopy. Gallium oxynitrides have been prepared by ammonolysis of either NiGa2O4 ternary oxide or the citrate method-derived amorphous oxide. Their crystal chemistry is different and appears to be influenced by the nature of the oxide precursor: whereas gallium oxynitride obtained from amorphous gallium oxide crystallizes with the common wurtzite structure, gallium oxynitride obtained from NiGa2O4 crystallizes with an original structure that we have identified as the carborundum II (B6) structure type or 6H-SiC. As far as we know, this is the first 6H-SiC structure found in gallium oxynitride powders.