CVD diamond for components and emitters

An attractive feature of diamond films is their ability to be excellent die lectric (undoped, resistivity > 10(14) Omega cm to > 400 degreesC) or inter esting semiconductors/conductors (doped, resistivity similar to < 1 to 1 K Omega cm). Even as polycrystalline/nanocrystalline films (depending on proc ess deposition conditions), their breakdown strength (as dielectric) and po wer density capability (as resistors) are interestingly large numbers, part icularly for the domain of high temperature, high power applications. The d evelopment of nominally conventional patterning processes to manipulate the diamond films into capacitors, resistors and emitter configurations has le d to an ability to characterize diamond-based components of practical form and function. In this paper characteristics of two of these diamond microel ectronic elements, diamond microresistors and diamond emitters are reported . (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.