E.

MCCLARENCE 2010-07-21

It’s  a  superabrasive  
material    –  but  not  as  
you  know  it  
Synthetic  diamond  is  
stretching  its  wings  and  
moving  outside  its  use  as  
an  abrasive  and  you  would  
be  surprised  where  you  
will  now  find  the  hardest  
of  all  materials.  Given  the  
opportunity  any  diamond  
producer  will  wax  lyrical   FIG.1. Sensor based on diamond from Diamond Detectors Ltd
on  the  properties  of  
With  the  cost  of  diamond   processes,      used  to  create  
diamond,  that  is  it  an  
abrasives  being  driven  down   diamond  were  geared  mainly  
engineering  material  that   by  increased  pressure  of   to  producing  grains  more  
can  knock  the  socks  off  any   competition,  the  opportunity   suited  to  their  incorporating  
other  material  in  terms  of  a   to  create  a  high  value,  high   in  grinding  and  cutting  tools.  
performance  material  that   Along  came  a  new  
range  of  extreme   has  a  broader  industrial   commercial  process  for  
properties  –  optical,   appeal  is  driving  many  of  the   diamond,  chemical  vapour  
thermal,  chemical,   developments.     deposition,CVD,  in  the  late  
1980s  which  allowed  films  of  
mechanical,  electrical  and    The  stumbling  block  had   both  single  crystal  and  
even  acoustic  and   always  been  that  synthesis   polycrystalline    diamond  to  
electronic.     processes,  mainly  high   be  produced.  
pressure,  high  temperature  
   

It  has  taken  
  more  than  20  years  of   defect  grades  optimised  for   back  of  developments  in  CVD  
continual  development  but  now   different  applications.   diamond.  Companies  such  as  
chemical  vapour  deposition   Element  Six,  Diamond  Materials,  
alongside  developments  in   As  a  consequence,  these  material   Advanced  Diamond  Solutions,  
processing  is  proving  to  offer  a   improvements  have  finally  opened   Diamonex  ,  Kobe  Steel,  Iljin  
manufacturing  process  that  has   up  a  raft  of  new  high  technology   Diamond  are  just  a  few  of  the  
reached  the  level  of  maturity  where   applications  and  it  seems  that   companies  actively  involved  in  
the  material  properties  can  be   developments  are  accelerating.   CVD  diamond  production  and  
controlled  with  consistent  results.   Many  new  applications  are  already   development.  
This  is  creating  a  high  purity,  low   in  commercial  development  and  
new  ventures  are  being  built  on  the  
back  of  developments  in  CVD  
diamond.  
 E. MCCLARENCE 2010-07-21

Already    commercialised     they  say  is  the  ‘ultimate’  tweeter   up  in  2006,  the  company  has  made  
!
One  strong  application  area  for  
! material.     steady  progress  in  moving  
towards  a  practical  device  and  
synthetic  diamond  has  been  in   New  companies  have  sprung  up  to   other  groups  around  the  world  are  
lasers.  For  many  years,  diamond   use  diamond  electrodes  in   also  interested  in  this  technology.  
has  been  used  in  carbon  dioxide   electrochemical   s ensing,  
lasers  used  for  industrial  cutting   wastewater  treatment,  ozone   The  New  Applications  
applications  and  the  power  output   generating   e quipment,   d iamond  
of  these  has  been  trebled  by  using   detectors  for  medical  X-­‐ray   Powerful  and  tunable  lasers  that  
the  power  handling  capability  of   dosimetry,  radiation  monitoring  in   can  work  in  the  long  wavelength  
diamond  in  this  application.  More   the  nuclear  and  defence  industries,   and  extending  to  the  terahertz  
recently,  the  potential  of  diamond   data  logging  in  oil  well  exploration   spectrum  could  open  upp  the  
in  new  lasers  that  operate  in   and  UV  photolithography  for   development  of  powerful  
different  wavelengths  have  been   semiconductor  manufacturing.       miniature  lasers  for  use  in  medical  
explored.     imaging,  ophthalmology,  cancer  
Companies  such  as  Diamond   therapy  and  a  variety  of  defence  
And  if  can  afford  to  buy  high  end   Microwave  Devices  is  trying  to   applications.    Single  crystal  
loudspeakers  from  Bowers  &   make   t he   b reakthrough   w ith   diamond  is  seen  as  a  key  material  
Wilkins  you  will  find  that  the   active   e lectronic   d evices   b uilt   w ith   because  it  not  only  has  high  optical  
tweeter  is  made  from   diamond  at  their  core.  The   quality,  exceptional  thermal  
polycrystalline  diamond.  The   company   i s   a iming   t o   d evelop   a n   properties  and  broad  transmission  
company  has  extolled  the  virtual   electronic   c omponent   t hat   c an   b e   capabilities,    but  also  has  high  
of  the  performance  of  the  high   used   f or   t he   d evelopment   o f   h igh   Raman  gain,  which  is  a  frequency  
frequency  component  for  diamond   power,  microwave  devices  for  use   shifting  property.  
in  its  800  Series  Diamond  which   in  amplifiers  and  transmitters.  Set
 
 

FIG.2. CVD diamond synthesis processes are now creating a more

consistent, high quality material (photo: courtesy Element Six)

2010-XX-XX
!

E. MCCLARENCE 2010-07-21

These  diamond-­‐based  raman  

lasers  are  under  development  at  a  
number  of  universities.    Australian  
scientists  at  the  Macquarie  
University  and  the  Defence  Science  
Technology  organisation  have  
already  announced  significant  
progress  in  developing  a  working  
laser.  In  the  UK,  work  on  these  
type  of  lasers  are  under  
development  at  the  Institute  of  
Photonics  at  the  University  of  
Strathclyde.  

Chemical  vapour  deposition  

diamond  grades  with  high  isotopic  
purity  as  well  as  high  chemical  
purity  is  under  development  for  
quantum  optical  applications  and   !
could  lead  the  way  to  faster,  more   practical  quantum  systems.   So  thanks  to  the  advances  in  
power  computers  and  new   The  EU-­‐funded  project  ended   chemical  vapour  deposition,  
solutions  for  both  cryptography   in  December  2009  having  cost   diamond  is  moving  beyond  
and  cryptanalysis.  A  group  of   2.13  m  euros  and  the   the  abrasives  industry  and  is  
universities  and  companies  within   researchers  made  significant   firmly  establishing  itself  in  
Europe  and  Australia  under  a   progress  in  developing  single   the  realms  of  where  its  
major  project  called  EQUIND,   photon  sources  in  diamond   extreme  properties  can  make  
Engineered  Quantum  Information   which  form  the  basis  of  logic   a  real  difference.    
in  Nanostructured  Diamond,  have   elements  needed  in  
been  collaborating  on  developing   computing.  
suitable  technology  to  create    

 
!