Electrical properties of lateral p–n junction diodes fabricated by selective growth of n+ diamond

Abstract

AbstractWe fabricated diamond lateral p–n junction diodes by selective growth of n+‐type diamond and evaluated their structural and electrical properties. The phosphorus‐doped n+ diamond was selectively grown by microwave chemical vapor deposition at the side of a boron‐doped p‐type layer to form lateral p–n junction diodes. No distinct defects are observed at the interface of the p–n junction diode by cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy, implying the good homoepitaxial growth of the n‐type diamond. Electron beam induced‐current measurements directly confirmed the existence of the depletion layer in p–n junction diode. The electrical properties of the lateral p–n junction diodes were investigated at room temperature to 773 K. The devices show normal diode characteristics at all temperatures. A very low leakage current <10−14 A in the reverse bias was obtained at room temperature, resulting in a high rectification ratio of 108. Although the rectification ratio decreases with increasing temperature, it possesses 106 even at 573 K. A breakdown voltage was examined to be more than 100 V.