Transistor process engineers are engaged in a constant struggle trying to overcome the thermal barriers that prevent the full achievement of the intrinsic performance potential of gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors. Recently, a synthetic diamond substrate, has come on the scene as a solution to this challenge by replacing GaN’s entire host substrate—usually made of silicon (Si) or silicon carbide (SiC) and offering great potential for the near future.

The biggest cause of electronic circuitry and IC failure is heat. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamonds, mastered by a company called Element Six, are three to 10 times better than copper, SiC, or aluminum in conducting heat. GaN-on-diamond substrates are in production.

Element Six’s CVD diamond heat spreaders and GaN-on-diamond wafers enable the next generation of:

• High power RF devices

• Optoelectronics devices

• High-voltage power devices

• Semiconductor assembly and test equipment

Companies like Triquint have developed RF Power Amplifiers (RFPA) with GaN-on-diamond to be used in radar, satellite communications, and cellular base stations.

Quantum-based applications

Synthetic diamond is now being tested for quantum-based applications such as secure quantum communication, quantum computing, and magnetic/electric field sensing. Quantum applications use the exciting world of quantum physics to perform operations, which would not be possible in systems adhering to classical physics.

In quantum-based applications, synthetic diamond acts as the host for impurities or defects, acting like a solid state atom trap. The quantum properties of these impurities, such as the Nitrogen-Vacancy defect, can be individually manipulated and made to interact, and photons emitted from these impurities can be used to identify their quantum information.

Synthetic diamond has significant advantages over competitive materials because the quantum properties of the defects it hosts can be manipulated and probed at room temperature.

In quantum computing, synthetic diamond can be used as quantum bits also known as qubits (just like the 1 and 0 in classical computers), which could allow quantum computers to solve certain problems that would never be possible with conventional computers.

Magnetic field sensing

In a magnetic field sensing application, synthetic diamond’s quantum properties can be used to detect tiny magnetic fields. Synthetic diamond-based magnetometers have a broad field of potential applications, like detecting magnetic fields associated with the ion flow through membrane channels in cells, an application that has important implications for drug development.

Optical semiconductors

In a sub-system of a Digital Optical Network architecture - the Photonic Integrated Circuit -

synthetic diamond significantly enables increased data transmission rates.

Sensors

Element Six, in conjunction with world leading academic partners, has developed a range of synthetic diamond enabled capabilities in the area of electrochemical sensing.

Synthetic diamond holds the potential to transform electroanalysis for industries such as pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, mining, agriculture, and biomedical sciences.

Element Six’s synthetic diamond sensing material has stable electrochemical properties that allow the highest levels of sensitivity, selectivity, and responsiveness in electroanalytical systems.

Diafilm Electroanalysis grade, or DIAFILM EA, has been manufactured using Element Six’s proprietary, world leading CVD synthetic technology and has been specifically engineered as a high phase, conductive grade material. Here are some advantages of DIAFILM EA:

• ultra wide solvent window

• metal-like conductivity

• low capacitance

• chemically inert

• operates in corrosive and other harsh environments

• free standing solid diamond electrode

• precision surfaces

What this means is that DIAFILM EA is targeted specifically at electrochemical sensors and electroanalytical applications, which require high electrochemical signal to noise under very difficult conditions. This electrode material can enable a wide variety of new sensing technologies and significantly improve the performance of existing applications. Some of these applications are bioelectromedical sensing, organic electrochemical synthesis, and remote sensing.

Music

Element Six developed a synthetic diamond tweeter dome that extends high frequency response and for which the development partners were jointly awarded a 2012 Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation.

The sky’s the limit for what remains to be achieved with these amazing diamond properties. We should expect some more incredible applications that we might only dream of now, but will become reality in the near future.

Also watching:

• Software defined radio: Especially watch A to D converters get SNDR (signal to noise distortion ratio) of better than 70 dB at speeds in excess of 200MS/s while consuming sub 2 mW at sub 1.0 V supply voltage. With the implementation of these A to Ds in highly integrated ICs in 28nm digital CMOS, digitalization of the radio will bring the antenna ever closer to the digital processor. Keep an eye on the imec/Renesas combination of efforts in this area.

• Automotive electronics and autonomous vehicles: Major strides are being made in higher electronics content in the automobile as well as progress toward a more autonomous vehicle. The 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, will prove to be an omen of progress to come in this area with the Vehicle Intelligence Marketplace at CES Tech East featuring autonomous driving, collision avoidance, and vehicle communication technologies. A record 11 automotive manufacturers will exhibit at the upcoming 2015 CES: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Toyota, and Volkswagen will showcase their latest technologies.