Ruthenium electrodes helped to dramatically improve the switching performance of a diamond semiconductor diode rectifier, it has been confirmed.

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) developed a prototype device with diamond Schottky barrier diodes and a ruthenium Schottky electrode.

Led by Director Shinichi Shikata and Senior Research Scientist Hitoshi Umezawa, the AIST Diamond Research Laboratory tests were the first to measure the diamond diode's performance with ruthenium included.

The results were particularly impressive, confirming high-speed switching of 0.01 microseconds and low-reverse-recovery current of just 40A per sq cm.

"This diode is capable of high-temperature operation, needs no cooling system, and can operate at high current densities because of the properties of diamond and the Ru electrode," noted the AIST.

"[The] research proved the performance of the diamond diode rectifier and the aim hereafter is to realise a 100A class device (one sq cm class) capable of the high currents needed for practical power devices."

Diamond has long been viewed as an ideal high-voltage, low-loss, fast-response semiconductor due to its high dielectric breakdown field and high carrier mobility.

Source:



Proving High-Speed, High-Temperature Operation of Diamond Power Device (08/09/10)

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