Jewel of a contract
1 min read
Diamond Microwave Devices has won a contract from MBDA to the develop a transistor based on single crystal synthetic diamond material. At the same time, the company has placed a contract with the London Centre for Nanotechnology to help it with studies related to diamond’s electronic properties.
Richard Lang, DMD’s general manager, pictured, said: “The work will be to investigate the mobility of delta doped chemical vapour deposition diamond and to apply the results within a 2d physical model for a diamond transistor.” The company says this work moves the prospect of active switching needed for rf components closer to reality.
According to MBDA, semiconductor operation in diamond is set to offer a new class of thermally robust microwave components, reducing the cost of ownership and improving rf system reliability.
Delta doping is thought to enable active electronic devices to be fabricated in diamond. A thin layer of highly boron doped diamond buried within the intrinsic diamond donates carriers to create a conduction channel between the metal source and drain. Such a design approach is needed because only p-type dopants are currently feasible for diamond.
Richard Jackman, who will lead the research at the London Centre for Nanotechnology, said: “Diamond offers enormous potential for high performance devices, but brings with it some challenges that are new to the electronics sector. The experience within DMD, when allied to the broad range of capabilities of the London Centre for Nanotechnology, makes this exciting collaboration unique in the world.”
