Scientists are exploring innovative methods to produce lab-grown diamonds while minimizing other forms of carbon, such as soot. These diamonds aren’t intended for jewelry, though. These are the kinds that are needed for the computers, optics, and sensors of the future.
A recent study 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 possesses properties that make it attractive to the semiconductor industry. Its unique crystal lattice structure allows it to withstand high electrical voltages and it is 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.
Typically, growing diamond in a laboratory 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.”
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