Fast Growth of Large Diamond Crystals in Open Air

该奖项的研究目的是阐明在工业应用的露天条件下，在非钻石衬底上以克拉水平生长大钻石晶体的机制。这项拟议的研究将建立一种在钻石生长中使用激光振动-共振激发的合成策略。乙烯、乙炔和氧气的混合气体将被用作前体。使用可调谐的二氧化碳激光器，将诱导烯基分子的振动共振激发，以促进化学反应和促进钻石生长。还将使用具有紫外线波长的准分子激光来提高钻石晶体的质量。可交付成果包括配置用于在空气中快速生长钻石晶体的激光系统、研究结果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钻石晶体。这些研究成果将为钻石生长开辟新的方向，并扩大工业钻石应用的范围，超越目前在电子、光学、机械切割和传感器等领域的应用。钻石合成的成本节约将通过使用普通碳氢化合物气体作为前体来实现。此外，使用这种技术有望以低得多的成本实现更复杂的金刚石晶体和器件。这项技术还有望为制造大型钻石结构提供一条简单可行的路线。

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.