Electron-beam induced modulation of surface conduction in hydrogen-terminated diamond

Published

May 5, 2026

Author(s)

Sebastian Wood, Evgheni Strelcov, Junyeob Song, James Buttler, Albert Davydov, Jabez McClelland, Andrei Kolmakov

Abstract

Hydrogen-terminated diamond is a promising platform for diamond-based high-power-frequency electronics and radiation-hardened semiconductor devices exhibiting controllable electrical conduction through an accumulated sub-surface 2D hole-gas layer. The diamond conductivity is highly sensitive to local surface conditions, offering new opportunities for device engineering, quantum sensors, and switchers, as well as presenting a challenge for device stability. Here we study the impact of focused electron-beam exposure on hydrogen-terminated transfer-doped diamond, revealing a reversible loss of local conductivity. Using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), we show that irradiation leads to a local change in surface potential and find that both ultra-violet (UV) light and ambient exposure can act to restore the conductivity. We propose that the electron beam injects negative subsurface charge into deep trap states that electrostatically gate the local hole transport. In some cases, local electron-stimulated desorption of electron-accepting surface species may also contribute.

Citation

Diamond and Related Materials

Volume

166

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diamond.2026.113711

Local Download

Keywords

hydrogenated diamond, surface transfer doping, surface potential, KPFM, EBIC

Citation

Wood, S. , Strelcov, E. , Song, J. , Buttler, J. , Davydov, A. , McClelland, J. and Kolmakov, A. (2026), Electron-beam induced modulation of surface conduction in hydrogen-terminated diamond, Diamond and Related Materials, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diamond.2026.113711, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=961045 (Accessed May 20, 2026)

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