TY - GEN
T1 - The state and potential of diamond in efficient direct energy conversion
AU - Koeck, Franz A.
AU - Nemanich, Robert
N1 - Funding Information:
This research is supported by the Office of Naval Research through grant # N00014-10-1-0540.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 IEEE.
PY - 2016/8/24
Y1 - 2016/8/24
N2 - The transformation of thermal into electrical energy through thermionic energy conversion allows high conversion efficiencies as the hot and cold side are separated by a vacuum gap. Electrons released through thermal excitation from a cathode are collected by a counter-electrode with lower work function, ideally about 0.5eV, which can define the conversion efficiency. Converter electrodes based on diamond could achieve optimum work function values for emitter and collector by exploiting donor states introduced by nitrogen at 1.7eV and phosphorus at 0.6eV below the conduction band minimum, respectively. With the ability of diamond surfaces to attain a negative electron (NEA) affinity a surface barrier for electron emission can be mitigated and through single crystal material its stability at elevated temperatures enhanced.
AB - The transformation of thermal into electrical energy through thermionic energy conversion allows high conversion efficiencies as the hot and cold side are separated by a vacuum gap. Electrons released through thermal excitation from a cathode are collected by a counter-electrode with lower work function, ideally about 0.5eV, which can define the conversion efficiency. Converter electrodes based on diamond could achieve optimum work function values for emitter and collector by exploiting donor states introduced by nitrogen at 1.7eV and phosphorus at 0.6eV below the conduction band minimum, respectively. With the ability of diamond surfaces to attain a negative electron (NEA) affinity a surface barrier for electron emission can be mitigated and through single crystal material its stability at elevated temperatures enhanced.
KW - diamond
KW - doping
KW - plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition
KW - thermionic conversion
KW - thermionic electron emission
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U2 - 10.1109/IVNC.2016.7551462
DO - 10.1109/IVNC.2016.7551462
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84988450744
T3 - 2016 29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference, IVNC 2016
BT - 2016 29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference, IVNC 2016
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference, IVNC 2016
Y2 - 11 July 2016 through 15 July 2016
ER -