General Competition (April 1992)

Plasma Technology for Low-Cost Diamond Production

Sponsor: Westinghouse Electric Company

• Project Performance Period: 11/15/1992 - 11/14/1995
• Total project (est.): $5,214,503.00
• Requested ATP funds: $2,473,491.00

The technology of making and using diamond films has advanced to the point where the utility of this advanced material is no longer questioned. Widely recognized as one of the hardest known substances, diamond also has the highest thermal conductivity of any known material, is extremely transparent from infrared wavelengths into the far ultraviolet, has high electrical resistivity, is an excellent electrical barrier, is corrosion resistant, has a low coefficient of friction, and even has some useful properties as a semiconductor. From mechanics to optoelectronics, forecasts estimate the annual diamond film market at $4 billion within a decade. The current technology race is to develop efficient, high-volume commercial production technology for diamond films. Japanese industry developed the first practical production methods in the '80s. There are several competing technologies for laying down high-quality diamond coatings on surfaces, but one of the most promising is arc plasma chemical vapor deposition. Westinghouse and SGS, working with the University of Minnesota, plan to scale up the arc plasma process from the current 15 kilowatt power level to 1 megawatt, the maximum area per unit from roughly 80 to about 6,500 square centimeters, and the production rate from less than 1 unit per hour to more than 100. This technology should drive the cost of diamond coatings from today's level of about $30 to less than $5 per carat, giving U.S. industry an important lead in capturing a significant share of the emerging diamond film market. The project also includes plans to develop technologies for incorporating diamond films into products such as tooling, heat sinks and infrared optics; and to create an industrial users group to speed technology transfer.

For project information:

Robert Benke, (412) 642-3321

Active Project Participants

• SGS Tool Company (Munroe Falls, OH)
  [Original, Active Member]
  

ATP Project Manager

Jean-Louis Staudenmann, (301) 975-4866
jstaudenmann@nist.gov