Element Six (E6), a world leader in the design, development and production of synthetic diamond advanced material solutions, has taken the lead in a groundbreaking initiative under DARPA's Ultra-Wide BandGap Semiconductors (UWBGS) program. It aims at driving the development of the next generation of semiconductor technologies. The program, overseen by DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office, focuses on creating high-quality ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) materials such as substrates, device layers, and junctions. These advanced materials are essential for high-performance electronics such as high-power RF switches, radar and communication amplifiers, high-voltage power switches, and high-temperature electronics for extreme environments. Additionally, UWBG materials will enable deep ultraviolet (UV) LEDs and lasers, laying the foundation for a multi-billion-dollar systems market.
Diamond offers the potential for superlative semiconductor device performance, lowering overall size, weight and power consumption (SWaP) thanks to outstanding properties such as its chemical and radiation inertness, high carrier mobility, superlative heat conduction, and wide electronic bandgap.
E6's contribution to the UWBGS program will harness the company's expertise in large-area CVD polycrystalline diamond and high-quality single crystal (SC) diamond synthesis, to realize 4-inch device-grade SC diamond substrates.
Prof. Daniel Twitchen, Chief Technologist at Element Six, said: "We are proud to work alongside the other DARPA UWBGS program partners. Industrial diamond has disrupted multiple markets since its first scale synthesis in the 1950s, and I am confident that technology breakthroughs in UWBGS will help unlock another 70 years of positive disruption in the semiconductor industry."
Element Six's SC diamond was already a crucial enabler in the CERN Large Hadron Collider's monitoring systems, helping lead to the discovery of the Higgs Boson Particle and, in partnership with high-power semiconductor leader ABB, E6 realized the first high-voltage bulk diamond-based Schottky diodes. Furthermore, E6 recently completed the build and commission of an advanced CVD facility leveraging its core technology in Portland (OR), powered by renewable energy sources.
E6 polycrystalline diamond wafers measuring >4 inches are already enabling telecommunication infrastructures and defense applications, being used as either optical windows in EUV lithography for state-of-the-art silicon (Si) chips, or in thermal management applications for high-power density Si and gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor devices.
For the UWBGS program, Element Six has partnered with other leaders in the field from across the globe: Orbray in Japan (with diamond heteroepitaxy expertise – full partnership announcement available here), Raytheon (leaders in GaN RF devices), Hiqute Diamond in France (with dislocation engineering expertise), and Stanford and Princeton Universities in the US (with materials bulk and surface processing characterization expertise).
Through the collaboration of this global network of technology leaders, UWBGS will push the boundaries of diamond innovation to enable a new generation of ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors.
