Diamond Homoepitaxial Growth Technology toward Wafer Fabrication, Atomically Controlled Surfaces, and Low Resistivity

Strong covalent bonds provide diamond with superior properties such as higher thermal conductivity, electron/hole mobilities, and wider bandgap than those of other semiconductors. This makes diamonds promising for next-generation power devices, optoelectronics, quantum technologies, and sensors. However, there are still challenges in realizing practical diamond electronic applications. Key issues include controlling the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) growth process to achieve a large size, smooth surfaces, and desired conductivity. Standard semiconductor processing techniques like polishing and ion implantation also need improvement for diamonds. This Account outlines three MPCVD growth technologies being investigated at Kanazawa University to address these challenges.