Diamond Thin Films as a Gate Insulator in MOS Transistors

"Ongoing efforts in device physics research have been aimed at creating small, high frequency, and high power structures to meet demands of the current commercial and military markets. Military applications, such as high power radar and sensors, andcommercial applications, such as cellular (or wireless) technology, laptops, and personal digital assistants, are in search of devices that will meet the needs of high speed and high power management, but in a small package. The proposed Phase I researchwill demonstrate the feasibility of applying Diamond-Gate-Insulator technology (DGI) developed by Vanderbilt University and members of the Mission Research Corporation team. Applying diamond film as a gate dielectric has many advantages in deviceperformance. Diamond has a low electron affinity, chemically inert, and high thermal conductivity. Devices built with CVD diamond offer a rugged structure that will withstand and operate in or through harsh working environments. Additionally, diamond asa gate insulator offers a more robust structure in radiation environments over conventional gate material. DGI technology can be readily integrated into a MOS device foundry (or a compound semiconductor foundry). The advantages are advancedmicroelectronics that can be developed at a practical cost and are direct replacements to current devices. The speed and power dissipation of FETs are directly proportional to the properties of the gate diele