Diamond Power
We use diamond as the ultimate semiconductor material
We use diamond as the ultimate semiconductor material
The quest for increased energy efficiency has re-energised power electronics with new materials. Diamond outperforms any other material in terms of its ability to insulate very high voltages across very thin layers.
With 15 times the critical breakdown strength of silicon and 5 times that of SiC, diamond is truly the ultimate semiconducting material.
Diamond is versatile and can be used to create various electronic devices. Including:
Diamond outperforms other materials when it comes to insulating high voltages. The lower the insulation strength the more base material is needed but more importantly the slower the device operates - Which is why, in the case of power semiconductors, 6,500V appears to be the ultimate practical limit for silicon based insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs)
Amount of semiconductor material needed to isolate 10,000V
With diamond, power loss is reduced and high-voltage is easier to achieve. Diamonds can realize high-speed switching motion because they don't have accumulation carriers. As a result, high-speed switching can be realized.
When the temperature increases, electrons are excited to the conduction band and the leakage current increases. Diamond has five times the band gap width of silicon and almost two times that of SiC, preventing the flow of leakage current and thus enabling operation at high temperatures.