Ensuring a bright future for diamond electronics and sensors by perfecting the growth process
Researchers are developing new ideas about the best ways to make lab-grown diamonds while minimizing other forms of carbon, such as soot. These diamonds aren't destined for rings and necklaces, though. These are the kinds ...
One new study, conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University, investigated ways to reliably grow diamond at lower temperatures than those currently used. Diamond has properties that make it attractive to the semiconductor industry. With its particular crystal lattice structure, diamond can withstand high electrical voltages. It's also very good at dissipating heat.
"This work is part of PPPL's broader efforts to advance microelectronics by providing critical research into the materials and processes that could prove essential to ensuring a continued competitive advantage for the United States in this high-tech field," said PPPL Principal Research Physicist Igor Kaganovich, a co-author on the paper.
Growing diamond in a laboratory typically involves high heat beyond what computer chips can handle; therefore, scientists have long been searching for ways to reduce the heat without sacrificing diamond quality.
"If we want to implement diamond into silicon-based manufacturing, then we need to find a method of lower-temperature diamond growth," said Yuri Barsukov, a computational research associate at PPPL who was the lead author of the study. "This could open a door for the silicon microelectronics industry."
When a green laser shines on a special kind of diamond with atomic-scale defects, it can cause it to fluoresce red. This process is depicted in this photo of a quantum diamond sample as it was struck by the light of a green laser pointer, with a red light filter added to half of the sample to reveal the red fluorescence. Credit: Michael Livingston / PPPL Communications Department
This model of quantum diamond shows the carbon atoms in black. The purple ball represents the nitrogen, while the blue ball represents an empty spot in the lattice. Together, the nitrogen and empty space create the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center used in quantum applications. Credit: Michael Livingston / PPPL Communications Department
A close-up of one of the quantum diamond reactors at PPPL's Quantum Diamond Lab. The glow inside the device comes from the plasma used to make quantum diamond using a process known as chemical vapor deposition. Credit: Michael Livingston / PPPL Communications Department