The $p\text{−}T$ conditions of the solid-solid phase transition from the wurtzite to rocksalt structure in GaN are determined both experimentally and by ab initio calculations. Experimental evaluation was based on the x-ray absorption measurements in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. At 300 K, the transition was observed near 47 GPa. At lower pressures, the wurtzite to rocksalt transition has been induced by high temperature: 1420 K at 42 GPa and about 2100 K at 37 GPa. Thus the slope of the wurtzite-rocksalt borderline could be evaluated as negative and nonlinear. On the part of the theory, the $p\text{−}T$ borderline was determined from a comparative analysis of the temperature dependences of the Gibbs potential of the wurtzite and rocksalt structures for different pressure. The Gibbs potentials were calculated within the quasiharmonic approximation and the self-consistent phonon approach. The results obtained with the self-consistent phonon approach show that the inclusion of the anharmonic phonon effects is indispensable to obtain a very good agreement with the experimental data. Possible consequences of the observed anharmonicity for the still unknown melting behavior of GaN are discussed. In particular, it is suggested that the melting temperature of the rocksalt-GaN, at pressure around 37 GPa, is not much higher than 2100 K.

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• Anharmonic lattice dynamics
• First order phase transitions
• Phase diagrams
• Phase transitions
• Solid-solid transformations
• III-V semiconductors
• Single crystal materials
• Wide band gap systems
• Density functional theory
• First-principles calculations
• Pressure techniques
• X-ray absorption spectroscopy