Compound semiconductors

Which is a characteristic of diamond, sometimes called the ultimate semiconductor material?

  1. AIts band gap is small and it can only be used at low voltage
  2. BIt is a metal that conducts electricity
  3. CIt has a large band gap of about 5.5 eV and very high thermal conductivity
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Answer: C. It has a large band gap of about 5.5 eV and very high thermal conductivity

Diamond has a large band gap of about 5.5 eV, a high breakdown field and one of the highest thermal conductivities of any material, so it is expected to be a device material for high voltage, high temperature and high frequency. Challenges include making large, high-quality substrates and n-type doping.

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More Compound semiconductors questions

  1. How does the thermal conductivity of GaAs compare with that of silicon?
  2. What is the advantage of growing InGaAs, with its composition adjusted, lattice-matched on an InP substrate?
  3. In silicon photonics, why are compound semiconductors combined with silicon for the laser light source?
  4. Which trio of researchers received the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the high-brightness blue LED?
  5. Which elements make up gallium arsenide (GaAs)?