Fast Growth of Large Diamond Crystals in Open Air

该奖项的研究目标是阐明在露天工业应用中，在非金刚石衬底上以克拉级生长大型金刚石晶体的机制。提出的研究将建立一种利用激光振动共振激发金刚石生长的综合策略。乙烯、乙炔和氧气的混合气体将用作前体。利用可调谐的二氧化碳激光器，可以诱导烯烃分子的振动共振激发，从而促进化学反应，促进金刚石生长。紫外准分子激光也将用于提高金刚石晶体的质量。交付成果包括用于在空气中快速生长钻石晶体的激光系统，研究结果的文档和工程学生教育。该研究项目将开发一种简单、低成本的方法来合成大型金刚石晶体。研究结果将为金刚石的生长创造一个新的方向，并扩大工业金刚石的应用范围，超越目前在电子，光学，机械切割和传感器等方面的应用。金刚石合成的成本节约将通过使用常见的碳氢化合物气体作为前体来实现。此外，利用这种技术，预计可以以更低的成本实现许多更复杂的金刚石晶体和器件。该技术还有望为制造大规模金刚石结构提供一种简单可行的途径。

The research objective of this award is to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for growth of large diamond crystals at carat levels on non-diamond substrates in open air for industrial applications. The proposed research will establish a synthetic strategy using laser vibrational-resonant excitation in diamond growth. A gas mixture of ethylene, acetylene and oxygen will be used as precursors. Using a tunable carbon dioxide laser, vibrational resonant excitations of the alkene group of molecules will be induced to promote chemical reactions and enhance diamond growth. An excimer laser with ultraviolet wavelength will also be used to improve the quality of the diamond crystals. Deliverables include a laser system configured for fast growth of diamond crystals in air, documentation of research results, and engineering student education.This research project will develop a simple, low-cost approach for synthesizing large diamond crystals. The research results will create a new direction for diamond growth and expand the horizon for industrial diamond uses beyond the current applications in electronics, optics, mechanical cutting and sensors, to name a few. The cost savings for diamond synthesis will be realized through the use of common hydrocarbon gases as precursors. Additionally, using this technique it is expected that many more complicated diamond crystals and devices can be realized at a much lower cost. The technique also has the promise of enabling an easy and viable route for fabricating large-scale diamond structures.