Transparent nanocrystalline diamond contacts to wide bandgap semiconductor devices

US8445383B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force · US

Inventors

• Karl D. Hobart · Alexandria, US
• Tatyana I. Feygelson · Springfield, US
• Marko J. Tadjer · Greenbelt, US
• Joshua D. Caldwell · Nashville, US
• Kendrick X Liu · Alexandria, US
• Francis J. Kub · Arnold, US
• Michael A. Mastro · Fairfax, US
• James E. Butler · Huntingtown, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 5, 2008
• Grant date: May 21, 2013
• Expiry date: Jul 17, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/32341
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A heterojunction between thin films of NCD and 4H—SiC was developed. Undoped and B-doped NCDs were deposited on both n− and p− SiC epilayers. I-V measurements on p+ NCD/n− SiC indicated Schottky rectifying behavior with a turn-on voltage of around 0.2 V. The current increased over eight orders of magnitude with an ideality factor of 1.17 at 30° C. Ideal energy-band diagrams suggested a possible conduction mechanism for electron transport from the SiC conduction band to either the valence band or acceptor level of the NCD film.