Electronic transport properties of synthetic diamond thin films

• Grant number: 11/17990-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Adenilson José Chiquito
• Grantee: Rosana Balena
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Synthetic diamond films have a high potential for technological applications due to some characteristics such as high thermal and electrical conductivity, high breakdown voltage, high electron mobility, and high resistance to radiation. In order to use diamond films in practical devices, the study of the transport mechanism of carriers in doped diamond films as well as the development of a reproducible route for the fabrication of devices is needed; this study should take into account the role of the surface to obtain good electrical contacts. Thus, in this work, we propose the study of the properties of electrical contacts, both rectifier and ohmic ones in diamond films. For this, sets of samples with different doping (between 10^18 and 10^20 cm^-3) will be submitted to the cleaning processes and then used for the fabrication of devices. Such devices will be analyzed through experiments in which the current, resistivity, and capacitance will be monitored as a function of parameters such as temperature. From the analysis of experimental data, we hope to obtain information about the properties of the contacts (Schottky barrier height and breakdown voltage, for example) and on the diamond film's properties, such as density/distribution of carriers and the characteristic process of electrical conduction.(AU)