Diamond Schottky\nBarrier Diode Energy Converter Working\nunder ∼mA Output for Nuclear Batteries

Nuclear batteries have attracted much attention because\nof their\nlong lifetime. Due to the large band gap and high radiation tolerance,\ndiamond is an ideal material for the fabrication of the energy converter\nfor nuclear batteries. In this work, a diamond Schottky barrier diode\nenergy converter was prepared, and the performance of the device was\nstudied by the electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) method. The energy\nconverter can work under an electron beam current of μA order.\nThe open-circuit voltage of the device is around 0.8 V, and a short-circuit\ncurrent of several milliamps can be achieved. The maximum energy conversion\nefficiency of 3.19% is obtained under a beam current of 0.2 μA\nat 26 keV.