Diamond transistor, an engineer’s best friend
Scientists have created an n-channel transistor using diamond for the first time
From https://www.livescience.com
Researchers in Japan have created the first “n-channel” diamond-based transistor, inching us closer to processors that can operate at super-high temperatures. This eliminates the need for direct cooling and increases the range of environments where processors can operate.
They can work in much harsher environments than conventional components — operating in temperatures above 572 degrees Fahrenheit (300 degrees Celsius) rather than the typical transistor’s limit of 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius) — and can endure much higher voltages before breaking down.
In the new study, the researchers built a transistor with two “phosphorus-doped diamond epilayers.” Phosphorus doping, which simply means adding the element to the layers, is necessary to add conductivity. This is the n-channel layer, which carries free electrons and would replace the silicon-based layer in a conventional chip. When enough electrons flow, they connect two ends of a gate — known as “the source” and “the drain.” This closes the circuit to represent a 1 rather than a 0.
The team lightly doped the negative layer with phosphorus and heavily doped the second, positive layer. The scientists then formed annealed titanium “source” and “drain” contacts on the top, heavily doped layer, before adding 30-nanometer-thick aluminum trioxide to serve as an insulator. The result was the world’s first working n-channel MOSFET transistor made using diamond.
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