Improvements in Reverse Characteristics of Diamond Schottky Diodes by Neutron Irradiation

Abstract Diamond is emerging as a promising material for space applications due to its unique properties and potential high performance in extreme environments. In this work, we systematically study the impact of the Diamond Schottky barrier diode (SBD) under the equivalent neutron fluence of 1 MeV irradiation. According to current-voltage ( I - V ) measurements, the Schottky barrier height (Φ B ) of diamond SBD was increased from 1.23 eV to 1.32 eV, the ideality factor ( n ) was reduced from 1.88 to 1.66, and the reverse breakdown voltage increased by 100 V after neutron irradiated. Furthermore, it is observed that the carrier concentration across the diamond drift layer was decreased from 5.91 × 10 15 cm -3 to 5.15 × 10 15 cm -3 based on the capacitance-voltage ( C - V ) measurement. Moreover, the low-frequency noise analysis also decreased. Considering the device performance change, the metal/semiconductor interface traps have reduced slightly, and the Schottky barrier has been significantly improved.