DIAMOND-BASED SEMICONDUCTING DEVICES.

This article presents information on diamond-based semiconducting devices. Diamond is a naturally occurring crystalline form of carbon. Presence of small amounts of substitutional B in natural diamond crystals contributes top-type semiconductor properties. A figure of merit (FOM) can provide a basis derived from physical theory for comparison of device potential among different semiconductors. The incorporation and activation of dopants reproducibly and controllably, as well as the understanding and characterization of the associated physical processes of compensation, carrier transport properties, and the presence and activity of deep-level states are of fundamental importance for an emerging device technology.