Diamond power switch shatters performance records
September1, 2026
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrated a vertical photoconductive diamond power switch capable of 17.1 A at 1 kV, with an ultrafast 25 ns turn-off time.
Instead of conventional doping, the device uses deep-UV light to activate conductivity throughout the diamond bulk. Its vertical architecture takes advantage of diamond’s ultra-high breakdown field, low on-resistance, and exceptional thermal conductivity.
This result demonstrates the potential of diamond for ultrafast, high-voltage, high-power switching, with applications in HVDC grids, EV power systems, renewable-energy conversion, and next-generation power electronics.
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