有报告指现今大部分研究都在开发一种以半导体（氮化镓或合金铝氮化镓）为基础且运行于紫外线的发光二极管，而光的波长为250纳米。在2006年5月有报告指一个无效率的二极管可发出波长为210纳米的光波[1]。
It has been reported that most of the current research is developing a semiconductor (gallium nitride or gallium aluminium nitride alloy) based photodiode operating in ultraviolet light, and the wavelength of light is 250 nanometers. In May 2006, it was reported that an inefficient diode could emit a wavelength of 210 nanometers [1].
以真空紫外线反射率量出单一的氮化铝晶体上有6.2eV的能隙。理论上，能隙允许一些波长为大约200纳米的波通过。但在商业上实行时，需克服不少困难。氮化铝应用于光电工程，包括在光学储存接口及电子基质作诱电层，在高的导热性下作芯片载体，以及作军事用途。
The energy gap of 6.2eV on a single AlN crystal is measured by the vacuum ultraviolet reflectance. In theory, the energy gap allows some waves with a wavelength of about 200 nanometers to pass through. However, many difficulties need to be overcome when it is implemented commercially. Aluminum nitride is used in optoelectronic engineering, including optical storage interfaces and electronic substrates as inducers, chip carriers with high thermal conductivity, and military applications.
由于氮化铝压电效应的特性，氮化铝晶体的外延性伸展也用于表面声学波的探测器。而探测器则会放置于硅晶圆上。只有非常少的地方能可靠地制造这些细的薄膜。
Because of the piezoelectric effect of aluminum nitride, the epitaxy extension of aluminum nitride crystal is also used in surface acoustic wave detectors. The detector is placed on a silicon wafer. There are very few places where these thin films can be reliably manufactured.