One of the earliest synthesis of gallium nitride was at the George Herbert Jones Laboratory in 1932.
An early synthesis of gallium nitride was by Robert Juza and Harry Hahn in 1938.
GaN with a high crystalline quality can be obtained by depositing a buffer layer at low temperatures. Such high-quality GaN led to the discovery of p-type GaN, p–n junction blue/UV-LEDs and room-temperature stimulated emission (essential for laser action). This has led to the commercialization of high-performance blue LEDs and long-lifetime violet laser diodes, and to the development of nitride-based devices such as UV detectors and high-speed field-effect transistors.