Doping diamonds and diamond films for electronic applications

Diamond exhibits extraordinary physical and chemical properties, many of which have already found application in tribology, thermal management and optics. Furthermore, diamond is also a wide-bandgap semiconductor which, when doped, can lead to the realization of electronic and optoelectronic devices with exceptional properties. Diamond can now be doped p-type, with boron, both during CVD diamond film growth and by ion-implantation, and n-type with phosphorus during CVD growth. This paper reviews the current status of diamond doping and describes the electronic properties of the doped layers. Some potential applications of doped semiconducting diamond are described.