The use of diamond for electronic applications is not a new idea. As
early as the 1920's diamonds were considered for their use as
photoconductive detectors. However limitations in size and control of
properties naturally limited the use of diamond to a few specialty
applications. With the development of diamond synthesis from the vapor
phase has come a more serious interest in developing diamond-based
electronic devices. A unique combination of extreme properties makes
diamond partiCularly well suited for high speed, high power, and high
temperature applications. Vapor phase deposition of diamond allows large
area films to be deposited, whose properties can potentially be
controlled. Since the process of diamond synthesis was first realized,
great progress have been made in understanding the issues important for
growing diamond and fabricating electronic devices. The quality of both
intrinsic and doped diamond has improved greatly to the point that
viable applications are being developed. Our understanding of the
properties and limitations has also improved greatly. While a number of
excellent references review the general properties of diamond, this
volume summarizes the great deal of literature related only to
electronic properties and applications of diamond. We concentrate only
on diamond; related materials such as diamond-like carbon (DLC) and
other wide bandgap semiconductors are not treated here. In the first
chapter Profs. C. Y. Fong and B. M. Klein discuss the band structure of
single-crystal diamond and its relation to electronic properties.