Nitride compacts

A hot press method for the fabrication of doped or undoped gallium nitride compacts, and of other nitride compacts, employs as a starting material a powder mixture of the selected nitride and of a nitrogen rich salt. A preferred method for fabricating gallium nitride compacts employs ammonium carbonate powder as a starting material additive. In the course of the hot press operation, the endothermic volatilization of ammonium carbonate at a temperature below the disassociation temperature threshold of gallium nitride acts to cool the gallium nitride and also releases free nitrogen radicals that are available to replace any nitrogen lost by gallium nitride molecules through disassociation. The resulting compacts are substantially free of gallium metal, voids, or contaminants, and have a density exceeding 75% of theoretical maximum density.