A field effect transistor having a diamond gate electrode and a process for forming the same. In some embodiments, the device is an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT). The diamond gate electrode is formed so that it directly contacts the barrier layer. In some embodiments, the diamond gate electrode is formed from boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (NCD), while in other embodiments, the diamond gate electrode is formed from single crystal diamond.