Abstract
Progress in power electronic devices is currently accepted through the use of wide bandgap materials (WBG). Among them, diamond is the material with the most promising characteristics in terms of breakdown voltage, on-resistance, thermal conductance, or carrier mobility. However, it is also the one with the greatest difficulties in carrying out the device technology as a result of its very high mechanical hardness and smaller size of substrates. As a result, diamond is still not considered a reference material for power electronic devices despite its superior Baliga’s figure of merit with respect to other WBG materials. This review paper will give a brief overview of some scientific and technological aspects related to the current state of the main diamond technology aspects. It will report the recent key issues related to crystal growth, characterization techniques, and, in particular, the importance of surface states aspects, fabrication processes, and device fabrication. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of diamond devices with respect to other WBG materials are also discussed.
Highlights
We indicate the commonly reported values of mobilities measured by Hall bars set-ups [2,3] on microwave-plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) layers
This paper gives a brief overview of the state of the art of the diamond technology for power devices
Example in the characterization method and the growth of p-type and n-type diamond show the high potential of this material
Summary
Silicon is a well-established semiconductor material that has addressed the requirements of energy conversion for more than 50 years It is widely recognised (as shown in research roadmaps on power semiconductor devices [1]) that a real stepimprovement in power electronics will be obtained by employing devices based on wide bandgap semiconductor materials. Baliga’s figure of merit is oriented to static power losses Another typical way to compare the power semiconductors is to draw the theoretical relationship between unipolar on-resistance versus the breakdown voltage of Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). As a material with exceptional properties, could provide solutions to industry by providing diodes and transistors that withstand voltages above 10 kV, but competition with other materials, especially silicon carbide (SiC), and the intrinsic limitations of 3 of diamond (hardness, size of the substrate, etc.) require a great deal of effort to improve the performance, especially to reach high currents.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
