The growth of good quality layers of gallium nitride (GaN) as suitable for epitaxial growth is of great technological importance. Chloride vapour phase epitaxy (Cl-VPE) has been employed to grow good quality layers of GaN. The grown layers have been extensively characterized for their structural and optical properties. MOVPE grown GaN layers have been used to address process issues on device structuring and fabrication. GaN samples with different transition metal dopants have been synthesized and their usefulness as semi-magnetic materials, which are also identified as dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMS), have been evaluated. Better results have been obtained on the magnetic characteristics of GaN with ruthenium as the dopant. Nano dimensional structures of GaN have been obtained with excellent control of the growth parameters.