Surface transfer doping of diamond by MoO₃: A combined spectroscopic and Hall measurement study

Abstract

Surface transfer doping of diamond has been demonstrated using MoO 3 as a surface electron acceptor material. Synchrotron-based high resolution photoemission spectroscopy reveals that electrons are transferred from the diamond surface to MoO 3 , leading to the formation of a sub-surface quasi 2-dimensional hole gas within the diamond. Ex-situ electrical characterization demonstrated an increase in hole carrier concentration from 1.00 10 13 /cm 2 for the air-exposed hydrogen-terminated diamond surface to 2.16 10 13 /cm 2 following MoO 3 deposition. This demonstrates the potential to improve the stability and performance of hydrogen-terminated diamond electronic devices through the incorporation of high electron affinity transition metal oxides.