Abstract:
A method of coating a non-refractory and/or non-planar substrate (8) with synthetic diamond material using a microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition (CVD) synthesis technique, the method comprising: • forming a composite substrate assembly (1) comprising: • a support substrate (2) comprising an upper surface; • one or more electrically conductive refractory guards (6) disposed over the upper surface of the support substrate and extending to a height h g above the upper surface of the support substrate; and one or more non-refractory and/or non-planar substrates disposed over the upper surface of the support substrate and extending to a height h s above the upper surface of the support substrate, wherein the height h s is less than the height h g , wherein a difference in height h g - h s lies in a range 0.2 mm to 10 mm; • placing the composite substrate assembly within a plasma chamber of a microwave plasma CVD reactor; • feeding process gases into the plasma chamber including a carbon containing gas and a hydrogen containing gas; • feeding microwaves in the plasma chamber to form a microwave plasma at a location over the composite substrate assembly; and • growing synthetic diamond material on the one or more non-refractory and/or non-planar substrates.
Abstract:
A microwave generator system for use in a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD) system,the microwave generator system comprising: a microwave generator unit configured to produce microwaves at an operating power output suitable for fabricating synthetic diamond material via a chemical vapour deposition process; a fault detection system configured to detect a fault in the microwave generator unit which results in a reduction in the operating power output or a change in frequency; and a re-start system configured to restart the microwave generator unit in response to a fault being detected and recover the operating power output or frequency in a time period of less than 10 seconds after the fault in the microwave generator unit which caused the reduction in the operating power output or the change in frequency.
Abstract:
A method of making fancy pale blue or fancy pale blue/green CVD diamond material is described. The method comprises irradiating single crystal diamond material that has been grown by a CVD process with electrons to introduce isolated vacancies into the diamond material, the irradiated diamond material having (or after a further post- irradiation treatment having) a total vacancy concentration [VT] and a path length L such that [VT] x L is at least 0.072 ppm cm and at most 0.36 ppm cm, and the diamond material becomes fancy pale blue or fancy pale blue/green in colour. Fancy pale blue diamonds are also described.
Abstract:
A method of coating a non-refractory and/or non-planar substrate 2 with synthetic diamond material using a microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition (MWCVD) synthesis technique is described. The method details forming a composite substrate assembly comprising: a support substrate 2 with an upper surface 4 and one or more electrically conductive refractory guards 6 disposed over the upper surface 4 of the support substrate 2, extending to a height hg above the upper surface 4 of the support substrate 2; and one or more non-refractory and/or non-planar substrates 8 disposed over the upper surface 4 of the support substrate 2, wherein the height hs above the upper surface 4 of the support substrate 2, where the height hs and where the difference in height hg hs lies in the range of 0.2-10mm. The composite substrate assembly is located within a plasma chamber of the microwave plasma CVD reactor (Figure 5). The process gases are fed into the plasma chamber with microwave plasma where plasma is formed at a location over the composite substrate assembly thus growing synthetic diamond on the one or more non-refractory and/or non-planar substrates.
Abstract:
A microwave generator system for use in a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD) system, the microwave generator system comprising: a microwave generator unit configured to produce microwaves at an operating power output suitable for fabricating synthetic diamond material via a chemical vapour deposition process; a fault detection system configured to detect a fault in the microwave generator unit which results in a reduction in the operating power output or a change in frequency; and a re-start system configured to restart the microwave generator unit in response to a fault being detected and recover the operating power output or frequency in a time period of less than 10 seconds after the fault in the microwave generator unit which caused the reduction in the operating power output or the change in frequency.
Abstract:
A coloured single crystal CVD synthetic diamond material comprising: a plurality of layers, wherein the plurality of layers includes at least two sets of layers which differ in terms of their defect composition and colour, wherein defect type, defect concentration, and layer thickness for each of the at least two sets of layers is such that if the coloured single crystal CVD diamond material is fabricated into a round brilliant cut diamond comprising a table and a culet, and having a table to culet depth greater than 1 mm, the round brilliant cut diamond comprises a uniform colour as viewed by naked human eye under standard ambient viewing conditions in at least a direction through the table to the culet.