Mar 24 2010
Hideaki Yamada and Akiyoshi Chayahara, Diamond Wafer Team, The Diamond Research Center of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) have developed a technology for manufacturing inch-size large-area wafers of single crystal diamond.
Since diamond has excellent properties including high hardness, high thermal conductivity, high transmittance in a wide wavelength region, a wide band gap, and chemical stability, they have possible applications in semiconductor devices, electron-emitting devices, and biosensors, as well as in tools and optical parts. Among the applications of diamonds in electronics, diamond power devices which would surpass silicon or silicon carbide power devices are expected. Applications of diamond power devices in control modules for electric cars and industrial equipment may lead to considerable energy saving. However, the technology for manufacturing inch-size wafers of single crystal diamond is indispensable for the application of diamond devices in electronics.
Earlier, AIST developed the technology for synthesizing large single crystals of diamond and successfully synthesized a 10-mm2 wafer. This was enabled by the establishment of the "Direct Wafer-making technique," by which laminar single crystals and seed crystals of diamond can be separated. This technology is expected to enable low-cost production of unprecedentedly large single crystals.
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