Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Molecular dynamics simulations are employed to study defects in GaN. We use local basis density functional theory within the local density approximation where charge transfer between the ions is included in an approximate fashion. We find good agreement for the band structure of wurtzite and zincblende GaN compared to other recent calculations, suggesting the suitability of our method to describe GaN. A 96 atom GaN supercell is used to study the relaxations and electronic properties of common defects in the crystal structure, including Ga and N vacancies and antisites. We analyze the electronic signatures of these defects.