A gallium-containing nitride crystals are disclosed, comprising: a top surface having a crystallographic orientation within about 5 degrees of a plane selected from a (0001) +c-plane and a (000-1) c-plane; a substantially wurtzite structure; n-type electronic properties; an impurity concentration of hydrogen greater than about 510.sup.17 cm.sup.3; an impurity concentration of oxygen between about 210.sup.17 cm.sup.3 and about 110.sup.20 cm.sup.3; an [H]/[O] ratio of at least 0.3; an impurity concentration of at least one of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ca, F, and Cl greater than about 110.sup.16 cm.sup.3; a compensation ratio between about 1.0 and about 4.0; an absorbance per unit thickness of at least 0.01 cm.sup.1 at wavenumbers of approximately 3175 cm.sup.1, 3164 cm.sup.1, and 3150 cm.sup.1; and wherein, at wavenumbers between about 3200 cm.sup.1 and about 3400 cm.sup.1 and between about 3075 cm.sup.1 and about 3125 cm.sup.1, said gallium-containing nitride crystal is essentially free of infrared absorption peaks having an absorbance per unit thickness greater than 10% of the absorbance per unit thickness at 3175 cm.