  We report findings from several ab-initio, self-consistent calculations of
electronic and transport properties of wurtzite aluminum nitride. Our
calculations utilized a local density approximation (LDA) potential and the
linear combination of Gaussian orbitals (LCGO). Unlike some other density
functional theory (DFT) calculations, we employed the Bagayoko, Zhao, and
Williams' method, enhanced by Ekuma and Franklin (BZW-EF). The BZW-EF method
verifiably leads to the minima of the occupied energies; these minima, the low
laying unoccupied energies, and related wave functions provide the most
variationally and physically valid density functional theory (DFT) description
of the ground states of materials under study. With multiple oxidation states
of Al (Al$^{3+}$ to Al) and the availability of N$^{3-}$ to N, the BZW-EF
method required several sets of self-consistent calculations with different
ionic species as input. The binding energy for (Al$^{+3}$ & N$^{3-}$) as input
was 1.5 eV larger in magnitude than those for other input choices; the results
discussed here are those from the calculation that led to the absolute minima
of the occupied energies with this input. Our calculated, direct band gap for
w-AlN, at the $\Gamma$ point, is 6.28 eV, in excellent agreement with the 6.28
eV experimental value at 5 K. We discuss the bands, total and partial densities
of states, and calculated, effective masses.
