The National Science and Technology Award Conference, the General Assemblies of the Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the 11th National Congress of China Association for Science and Technology were convened in Beijing on the morning of July 8. The project “V-defect 3D PN Junction and Its Applications”, completed by the team of Academician Jiang Fengyi from Nanchang University (NCU), was awarded the First Prize of the State Natural Science Award.
Belonging to the category of applied basic research, the project has conducted in-depth research on silicon-based GaN LEDs. By breaking away from the extension of existing overseas technical routes, the team blazed an original independent R&D path, proposed new theoretical methods, achieved a dramatic leap in technical performance, and successfully progressed from foundational research all the way to commercialization.
The project discovered that in the quantum well region of this material, the large-size 3D V-defect structures induced by dislocations play a beneficial role in enhancing hole injection into quantum wells and improving quantum well quality. This overturned the long-standing view that fewer and smaller dislocation defects always yield superior performance. The team proposed the theoretical method of the V-defect 3D PN junction, evolving the PN junction interfaces from 2D to 3D. Consequently, the path of hole injection into the quantum well shifts from the polar facet with a high potential barrier to the semi-polar facet with a low potential barrier, transforming V-defects from severe defects to minor flaws, and ultimately into functional assets. As a result, the luminous efficiency of yellow LEDs and GaN-based red LEDs, as well as the electrical injection efficiency of blue and green LEDs, have been significantly improved.
The project pioneered a phosphor-free, monolithic chip LED lighting technology pathway, and its products have been mass-deployed in scenarios such as road and bridge lighting as well as ambient lighting. The project’s display chips have also been applied in large volumes to special-purpose equipment. Furthermore, the project achieved the wafer-level integration of silicon-based GaN LEDs with silicon-based circuits, successfully developing micro-displays and the first-ever yellow-light AR glasses.
The theoretical methods proposed by the project on a non-consensus technical route have gained widespread recognition from international peers. They have been extended and applied to widely adopted mainstream consensus routes, lifting their technical standards and driving the development of both the semiconductor luminescence discipline and the semiconductor lighting and display industry.
The State Natural Science Award is one of China’s five major national-level science and technology awards. For the 2025 National Science and Technology Awards, 51 projects received State Natural Science Awards, including 3 First Prizes and 48 Second Prizes.
On February 3, 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited NCU, expressing high expectations for the university’s technological innovation and talent cultivation. This brought immense encouragement to the faculty and students of NCU and injected powerful momentum into the university’s development. Over the past decade since then, NCU has kept these expectations firmly in mind, forging ahead with gratitude. Winning this award is not only a major milestone achieved by Academician Jiang Fengyi’s team in scientific and technological innovation, but also a vivid demonstration of the entire university’s faculty and students who are committed to high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology.
