NIMS succeeded in developing a technique to form a GaN epitaxial film with extremely low resistance and robust thermal stability, which is essential for realizing vertical gallium nitride (GaN) devices on low-cost silicon (Si) wafers. This novel technique, an “amorphous-like interlayer (AL-IL)” approach, uses an ultrathin film composed of Si and nitrogen (N) to accommodate lattice mismatch between Si and GaN, and enables vertical current flow between the substrate and the GaN film. This achievement constitutes a fundamental technology for fabricating vertical GaN devices on Si wafers, and is expected to contribute to reducing the cost of high-efficiency power devices and micro-LED devices in the future. This research result was published in Advanced Physics Research on May 29, 2026.

Advances in structural biology have allowed scientists to determine molecular structures with atomic‑level detail, sometimes yielding static snapshots that do not reflect the dynamism of proteins. However, these motions are often crucial for biological function. Researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) together with international collaborators have now combined several methods to shed light on how proteins ‘breathe’ and how some experimental techniques freeze their motion. The findings—which could boost protein design approaches and improve AI-based structural prediction tools—were published in Nature Chemistry.