In this work, we investigate electronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) stoichiometric ladder- and zigzag-patterned inversion domain boundaries (IDBs) in wurtzite III-nitrides based on first-principles calculations performed on GaN. From the atomic configuration, band structure, and differential charge distribution of these two IDBs, we demonstrate that the wurtzite zigzag IDBs have specific atomic structures composed of alternating III-III and V-V zigzag bond chains, giving rise to intersecting conventional metallic states, electroneutrality, and consequently, mid-band-gap Fermi energy level positioning. The analysis of the band structure including spin-orbit coupling and the determination of the effective masses show that IDBs lead to alternating one-dimensional (1D) electron and hole accumulation paths along the zigzag chains, while the band structure of the GaN bulk matrix is only weakly impacted. Moreover, anisotropic 1D transport is shown to be promoted selectively through atomic rows of the wurtzite zigzag IDBs. This finding may open opportunities for next-generation of electronic devices.

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• Defects
• Electronic structure
• Growth
• Structural properties
• III-V semiconductors
• Interfaces
• Density functional theory