Research Progress of Isotope Battery Devices Based on Radiation Voltaic Effect in Diamond

MicroelectromechanicalMicroelectromechanical systems, as well as deep-space and deep-sea exploration missions, have raised the bar for long-term and portable power supply. Isotope batteries, with their high energy densityEnergy density and steady power outputPower output, can provide energy for lunar roversLunar rovers and submarine detectors in severe conditions such as high and low temperatures and no sunlight. Radiation volt effectRadiation volt effect isotope batteries have been intensively explored as the primary type of isotope batteryIsotope battery due to their high theoretical energy conversionEnergy conversion efficiency efficiencyConversion efficiency and ease of downsizing, and they have been successfully applied to cardiac pacemakersCardiac pacemakers. Higher energy conversion efficiency may be attained by isotope batteries composed of semiconductor transducer junction devicesTransducer junction devices with broad band gaps. The ideal material for constructing transducer junction components for radiation volt effect isotope batteries is diamond, a representative of large band gapBand gap semiconductors with a band gap of 5.5 eV and radiation resistanceRadiation resistance. The advancement of chemical vapor depositionChemical vapor deposition (CVDCVD) technology has greatly improved diamond crystal epitaxy technology, providing the necessary structural basis for developing diamond semiconductor devices. This chapter introduces the fundamental principle of the radiation volt effect and compares the properties of common semiconductor materials and radiation source materials used in the transducer junction of the isotope battery. It also analyzes the key elements of the radio-voltaicRadio-voltaic effect isotopic battery and summarizes the literature on the study of the diamond radiation volt effect isotope battery. It is crucial to address the issues related to the current development of the diamond isotope battery. In this article, we explore the potential of diamond hetero-pn junctionsHetero-pn junctions to create a high-performance isotope batteryIsotope batteries. Through a detailed analysis of the current performance and applications of this technology with n-typeN-type semiconductor materials, we summarize our findings and provide a forecast for its future.