Characterization and TCAD Simulation Studies of Single-Crystal Diamond Detectors

The excellent electronic properties of single crystal (sc) ultra-high pure (UHP) diamond, such as wide band gap, high carrier mobility and high displacement energy of atoms make it the current material of choice for radiation detection applications. This paper presents the suitability of commercially available free standing single crystal diamond plate from Soni CVD Diamonds, India, for fabrication, optical, and electrical characterization of diamond-based bulk photodetectors intended for use in radiation detection applications. The optical characterization includes Raman spectroscopy and the electrical characterizations include leakage current, capacitance–voltage, and ultra-violet response current measurements. Numerical simulations using SYNOPSYS© Sentaurus TCAD have also been carried out to determine the optimum thickness and doping density of a boron-doped diamond film intended to be grown on a type-IIa diamond substrate, for its potential use in alpha-particle spectroscopy.