Is developed in the 1950 s Soviet union CVD diamond of the first countries, Japan and the United States later carried out research and development, it was not until 1993, De Beers in the isle of CVD diamond and the development of CVD diamond products factory production. At that time, Japan and the United States has sizeable CVD diamond manufacturers, and certain advantages in the field of fierce competition. However south from the rapid rise, in less than a decade after the CVD diamond and products has been developed to the second generation, holding international CVD diamond market dominance, instrument this case which comprises development speed quickly.But they did not stay on has obtained brilliant achievements, in terms of CVD diamond and metal products, although South Africa is in the international leading position, but for the sake of strategic development, it has recently expanded CVD diamond research center. It is worth noting that the expansion of the industrial diamond synthesis plant in South Africa springs launch ceremony, the company's non executive chairman, said: "the expansion as a part of our global business development strategy to implement, in an effort to compete with our main rivals, to make our production more effective. Our competition for mainly in China and South Korea."Element six group of companies currently product varieties in the constantly expanding, has developed a series of CVD diamond products, in particular, have abrasive products, also have the abrasive products, in medicine, optical, radio frequency (rf), thermal control and precision instruments and other technical departments all have important applications. The United States is the world of high-tech is the developed industrial countries, element six company is currently actively preparing for by its unique diamond products into the U.S. market.
United States Apollo Diamond company gem diamond using CVD method, fine diamond crystal layer is formed on the cover in a large area, but so far not solved the growth of large single crystals of process problems. Development prospects of CVD method is able to produce very pure diamond, CVD diamond is the biggest potential applications in computer science. With CVD diamond as a semiconductor can be made larger, and can work at temperatures up to 1000 ° c conditions, only 150 ° c maximum operating temperature of silicon wafers. Therefore, the computer chips made of CVD diamond for high frequency and speed work, work life expectancy is much longer.
Rapid production of single crystal diamond. Carnegie institution in Washington D.C. geophysical laboratory, 100 um speed per hour by CVD method grow 10 carat, half an inch of single crystal diamond, is the speed of HPHT and other 5 times of commercial production of diamond CVD method. Dr Russell Hemley commented: "in the traditional research methods are difficult to produce greater than 3 carats of high quality crystal."Several research groups began with the growth of CVD diamond single crystal, but the big colorless crystal synthesis is still very challenging. Our 10 carat, half an inch of CVD diamond synthesis is a major breakthrough. Most HPHT synthetic diamond is yellow, and most of CVD diamond is brown, which limits their optical applications. Colorless diamond production cost is high. It is reported that are very small. This situation limits the diamond as a gem, optical and widely used in scientific research.
The future of the world one of the most potential for development of new nano materials, there is a kind of surface coating on the diamond nano tube, will play an enormous role to the future development of science and technology. This kind of new materials based on diamond surface coatings is invented by Italian researchers at the university of two common. The nano tube like a common ice cream on the market, the surface coated with 20 to 100 nm thick diamond material. This new material has aroused extensive attention from all walks of life, especially in the electronics industry ultra-thin TV cathode-ray tunnel, this kind of TV image quality with high resolution, and the price of this kind of TV is much cheaper than the ordinary flat-panel television are also many. Rust is one of this kind of material is lies in its surface covered with a layer of diamond powder, the diamond coating will bring many to ordinary nano tube surprising physical properties.General metal molecules can be attached to in this layer of diamond coating on the diamond layer has excellent optical performance. The diamond is a kind of insulating material, but its surface and present a strong electronegative. Nano diamond catheter consists of high purity of diamond, this makes the nano diamond catheter and its superior conductivity between electronic components, can have an electric current passes through between them. Add nano diamond catheter with good resistance to light distribution and its extremely low voltage requirements, make the new materials can be used to make high-tech plane energy-saving TV. Argonne national laboratory researcher Amanda Barnard said: "the new material has good conductivity and more effective ability of light distribution, these properties makes this material can produce a more sophisticated, more energy efficient equipment." Many researchers in the world today are looking for better materials to make electronic display device, and the new material has great potential for development, perhaps is the material of scientists are looking for.
British defence evaluation and research agency (DERA) and De Beers cooperative research and development in the future both super voice * * ir seeker corrosion protective truly, it should have good optical performance and resistance to rapid heating (emission), rain erosion and sand (flight). Diamond not only has the superior mechanical properties, and from the near infrared to the "whole" far-infrared band with good optical performance, is the end of the infrared seeker shielding material selection object. BEBID company with CVD technique to produce protective samples at an aviation expo in 2000 Fan Boluo under strict security "appearance", its weight 20 grams. Developed in the form of product to ensure uniformity and controllable, in order to make the red cloak obtained can meet the requirements of application. Finally finished product should guarantee at infrared wavelengths with low loss, low scattering, so that it can be widely used in image processor. Cover DERA, according to the diamond on the long wave infrared scattering section is very small, CVD method can make a 100 mm cover, can fully meet the "advanced heat-seeking * * system" requirements.
Medieval alchemy had tried to put the thick metal smelting gold, now the U.S. naval research laboratory scientists better, can turn waste into diamond. It is known that there is a near the laboratory wastewater treatment plants, every day to produce 130 cubic feet of methane, the laboratory chemist James butler will be treated in a methane 4000 degrees high temperature of tungsten filament, after a while, a sparkling artificial diamond film appeared. Although the diamond but a couple inches per thousand, but the hardness is up to the standard. Can be used to make machine abrasion resistant, resistant to wipe the lens and the first-class computer components, a very full job.
Cany island showa university in Tokyo, Japan at Tokyo university professor yi Tian Xiu tree, recently successfully developed the diamond nanotube materials. For each thin tube diameter of only a few millimeters per material so named diamond nanotubes. With the combination of atoms are tubular graphite nanotubes materials are similar, but different arrangement, test samples of nozzle diameter is 300 nm, wall thickness are only a few nanometers, about 10 microns long, these ultra micro tube cluster formed a kind of new material. The flat panel displays is electrode with graphite nanotubes materials fluorescence luminous body, such as diamond nanotube materials instead, will significantly improve the luminous efficiency, in the process of the development of a new generation of ultra-thin screen play an important role.
Foreign science and technology workers use of vapor deposition technology produce single crystal diamond pieces (growth speed per hour l microns) and polycrystalline diamond (growth speed per hour dozens of micron), as well as cultivate thick LMM, hundreds of mm in diameter without the combination of polycrystalline diamond films. These products include cutting tools, thermal conductivity apparatus, optical radiation and X-ray observation window, no particle counter, uv intensity sensing device and sound diffuser, etc. In diamond electronics, acoustic equipment, with a diamond layer of plastic optical devices, etc, are trying to study.
All the above, can be thought of diamond is 2 l century the most potential technology strategic materials. This kind of nature's most hard materials may be the basis of the new century electronics.
