CVD Diamond |
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Cost-effective for any application, common or sophisticated |
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| Improve production performance and lower processing costs with our line of CVD diamond products that are engineered to the application. DDK grows and processes CVD diamond film for thermal and wear part applications. Materials research institutions and companies rely on DDK for turning as-grown wafers of CVD diamond into finished products and components because of our post-process capabilities including laser sawing, precision grinding, lapping and polishing. DDK makes CVD Diamond products cost-effective for applications from the most common to the most sophisticated. | |||||||||
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For more information on our CVD products, please visit Applied Diamond |
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| Microwave Windows | |||||||||
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| Thermal Management | |||||||||
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| CVD Diamond Film Cutting Tools | |||||||||
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Diamond Post-Processing Services |
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| Vacuum Brazing | |||||||||
| DDK uses active brazes in a variety of vacuum apparatus for brazing diamond parts and shapes to holders of various designs. Bonding single crystal or CVD diamond parts to tool shanks and inserts is an obvious application. We've also applied CVD diamond film to tungsten carbide backing (to allow brazing in air to tool shanks), and sintered diamond slabs between powder metal blanks in our equipment. | |||||||||
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| Laser Sawing and Scribing | |||||||||
| Historically, a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser has been used for sawing diamond, whether single crystal or CVD. The beam delivery optics and the part being cut are moved relative to one another in order to cut parts of specific geometry. The resolution of the moving stages, specifications of the delivery optics, and performance of the laser determine the amount of material removed, quality of the cut and minimum tolerances that can be held. The laser at DDK has been successfully used for this process for many years. Dimensional tolerances can be held to +/- 10 microns. Samples over 1 mm thick can be cut. The computer-controlled stages allow a wide variety of shapes to be cut; we've even done crescents and stars. This system allows both small and large jobs to be done quickly and economically. Most jobs can be scheduled promptly and finished within a day or two. Laser cutting also works well for scribing and cleaving thin diamond layers on silicon wafers. We precisely position the wafer / beam to cut along the natural cleavage plane of the silicon, then scribe through the diamond into the substrate. After removing sufficient material, the wafer can be "snapped" along the scribe lines. Alternatively, press a razor blade into the kerf made by the laser and the wafer will cleave. Use DDK's laser capability in conjunction with our other processes to produce finished parts from your CVD diamond raw material. You'll find our engineers knowledgeable regarding what is possible and how we can work together most efficiently and economically. We work hard to keep our services quick and inexpensive, too. |
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| Si Substrate Removal | |||||||||
| To obtain free-standing CVD diamond films, it is necessary to remove the substrate from the film. Substrates are most often silicon wafers which are .050" thick or more. Wet etching is typically used to chemically dissolve the silicon. Delaware Diamond Knives uses strong acids to dissolve the silicon because this process is quicker and cleaner. The resulting film is completely clean with its substrate side having the same surface finish as the silicon wafer on which it was grown. Considerable compressive stress is developed in the film during growth with the silicon substrate offering the strength needed to hold the film together. Remove this source of strength and the film will crack into many pieces. Care must be taken to grow films of sufficient thickness to be self-supporting. Contact DDK with your specific requirements and we'd be happy to provide a quotation. | |||||||||
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| Grinding and Polishing CVD Diamond Services | |||||||||
| Many of the potential applications of CVD diamond films require a smooth as-grown surface. Yet CVD diamond is extremely difficult to grind and/or polish because of its extreme hardness and the random orientation of its individual crystals. Delaware Diamond Knives has specialized equipment and processes which can be used to produce CVD diamond wafers with a range of thickness and surface finishes. CVD diamond films, as grown, often have peak-to-valley surface roughness of 10% of the film's thickness. In addition, compressive stress built-up during the growth process can lead to bowed wafers. To create flat surfaces, both the bow and surface roughness must be removed. DDK's grinding process works economically to remove the bow and reduce the peak-to-valley surface roughness to the range of 50nm. Delaware Diamond Knives has a unique polishing process which further reduces the surface roughness. Because of diamond's high hardness, wear resistance and low coefficient of friction, it is time-consuming to process large areas of diamond to very low surface roughness. Nevertheless, DDK has a productive process for polishing areas below 1 sqcm to peak-to-valley surface roughness of 1nm and less. Call DDK to discuss your needs and a practical way of achieving your goals. |
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| Metalization Techniques | |||||||||
| For years, fabricators of diamond tools have used metal coatings to improve the bond between diamond and the body of the tool. Even abrasive grains are coated with a variety of metal: prior to incorporation into metal-bond grinding wheels and tools. Metalization helps because diamond is naturally chemically inert and highly lubricious. Metalization can also be used in applications when diamond is a new addition to an existing process. Brazing of diamond to other materials is always done in a vacuum or inert atmosphere to avoid oxidation. Coating the diamond with metal can permit low temperature bonding of diamond in the semiconductor, optoelectronic and tool-making industries. Diamond metalization schemes usually involve three different metals. The first, closest to the diamond, is a carbide-former such as titanium, tungsten or chromium. These metals make a chemical bond with the diamond to insure adhesion of the metalization. A diffusion-barrier is then applied, typically palladium or platinum. Finally the layer required for the process is added. Gold or silver are usually used to prepare the diamond for brazing, eutectic bonding or other attachment techniques. |
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| Diamond Membranes and Substrates | |||||||||
DDK Produces thin continuous CVD diamond layers for:
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