Rectification, Photoconductivity, and Photovoltaic Effect in Semiconducting Diamond

Abstract

Studies of the rectification between a metal point and £-type semiconducting diamond show that the formation of the potential barrier is essentially independent of the work function of the metal. The rectifying barrier apparently is formed by the establishment of equilibrium between charges in surface and interior states as proposed by Bardeen for the case of silicon. The semiconducting diamonds are photoconducting in the ultraviolet and visible regions with the maxima occurring at 224, 228, 640, and 890 m/x. Generally, diamonds have not been observed to be photoconducting in the visible region; however, it has been observed that in some cases an enhancement of conductivity induced by ultraviolet radiation results upon simultaneous irradiation with red light. There is agreement between the spectral response of photoconductivity and photovoltages developed at metal contacts with the exception that photovoltages developed near 440 m/i were not obtained in photoconductivity.

The potential of diamond and SiC electronic devices for microwave and millimeter-wave power applications

“…When metals are placed upon these materials rectifying behavior is generally obtained. Schottky contacts on diamond have been formed by vacuum evaporation of various metals [65], [67], [90], [91]. The height of the potential barrier is essentially independent of the metal due to surface pinning and has a value in the range of 1.3-1.7 eV.…”

Asymmetric injection and distribution of space charges in propylene carbonate under impulse voltage

“…The thickness of the EDL is extremely small (nm level) such that the additional electric field generated by charges at the interface is extremely high, which makes the interface a very special area. In a semiconductor, this structure is called a barrier layer or an antibarrier layer depending on the difference in conductivity, in which the formation of the barrier layer results in rectification effect [24]. Whether a similar phenomenon can be found in a dielectric liquid with far fewer free electrons than in a semiconductor under volt ages -three to four orders of magnitude higher than that applied to a semiconductor is very interesting.…”