Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but diamond-based electronics could hold the key to carbon neutrality in the energy market and could one day even power your laptop, according to researchers.
A new study shows that diamonds could be more effective than silicon in operating high-voltage grids, which are crucial for renewable energy efficiency.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, global electricity demand is expected to increase by nearly 50% by 2050. However, about two-thirds of energy generated in the US is lost before it reaches customers, he says Can Bayramassociate professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Not without challenges
Bayram suggests that one solution to improve the efficiency of the electricity grid is to transition from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). A DC grid could potentially reduce AC grid losses by 90%, reducing the need for rectifiers and the need for transformers. In addition, high-voltage DC grids are more efficient at transporting energy over long distances, making them particularly beneficial for remote solar and wind farms.
Power electronics, which control more than half of the world’s electricity, are essential to supporting these networks. Bayram predicts that this figure will rise to 80% by 2030 due to the increasing adoption of renewable energy. He argues that the future DC grid will need power electronics that are faster and stronger than today’s silicon devices, and that semiconducting diamonds could be the answer.
Diamond, the hardest known semiconductor, is also one of the best thermal conductors and has a high breakdown voltage. This means that diamond semiconductor devices can operate at higher currents and voltages using less material without sacrificing electrical performance.
Bayram also notes that diamond-based electronics can lead to lower costs in shipping, transportation and installation due to their lighter weight. However, there are challenges to overcome, such as increasing the thickness of the “drift region” in diamond-based devices, a critical component in withstanding high voltages.
Despite these hurdles, the research team achieved record-high breakdown voltages of approximately 5,000 volts in thin drift layers, demonstrating the lowest leakage current of diamond devices.
“We believe that diamond will enter the semiconductor market with high power, more than 5 megawatts,” Bayram said. “Diamond-based converters will be cost-competitive because even if the diamond device itself is more expensive than typical silicon devices, the reduction in semiconductor size and simplification of the system, including thermal management, will significantly reduce the overall cost.”
The scientists detailed their findingsin the news IEEE Electron Device Letters.