Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Diamonds have long held a special place in the hearts and minds of both
scientists and the public at large. Diamonds are the hardest material known
and have the highest thermal conductivity among all known materials. Combined
with these important properties, diamonds have very low thermal expansion and
high electrical resistance. Because of their hardness, diamonds are far more
effective and efficient than other competing materials used for abrasion,
cutting, shaping, or finishing tools. The very high thermal conductivity of
diamonds makes them ideal for spreading and conducting heat out of compact,
high-power, high-speed electronic packages.
Industrial diamonds have been synthesized commercially for over 40 years using
high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) techniques in which diamond is
crystallized from metal-solvated carbon at a pressure of about 50 kbar to 100
kbar and a temperature of about 1,800 K to 2,300 K.
A low-pressure technique to produce diamonds, using chemical vapor deposition
(CVD), drew worldwide attention in the mid-1980s. There has been an explosion
of interest in CVD diamond, diamond-like, and cubic boron nitride (CBN) films
and coatings. These films are expected to be used in a variety of
applications, from cutting tools to wear-resistant parts and from electronics
to optical applications. One advantage of CVD diamond technology over
high-pressure technology is low cost and its ability to coat any shape.
Several new mass-production technologies for producing diamonds and
diamond-like films have emerged since the mid-1990s, including the production
of diamond-like coatings for razor blades. Since the advent of these new
technologies, diamond and diamond-like films, and coated products have reached
a greater level of penetration in their applications.
Thick and thin diamond films have advantages when incorporated in laser diodes
and microwave electronic packages due to their extremely high thermal
conductivity coupled with excellent dielectric properties. Also, large
substrates are now available, and a variety of package designs are possible
with CVD diamonds. Tool inserts with CVD diamond thick-film blanks or
thin-film coatings constitute the newest tool materials. Diamond-like thin
films are finding increasing application in coating automotive components such
as brake rotors and gears. Diamond and diamond-like coatings are also being
used more in optical applications, such as sunglasses, ophthalmic lenses, and
infrared (IR) windows. New-generation electronic devices such as surface
acoustic wave (SAW) and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are also using
diamond films.
SCOPE OF STUDY
This report:
- Provides a technological overview of the various diamond, diamond-like,
and CBN thin films and coated products, their production technologies, and
status of the current and emerging technologies
- Identifies and describes existing and new applications
- Identifies the technological and business issues related to development
and commercial production
- Determines the current size and future growth of the U.S. and worldwide
markets
- Analyzes domestic and foreign competition among companies and their
product market segments
- Identifies and profiles U.S. and foreign producers and those entities
involved in the development of diamond, diamond-like, and CBN films and
products
- Conducts a patent analysis to evaluate the international competition in
the issuance of patents between countries and companies.
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