CVD DIAMOND PROTECTIVE COATINGS FOR ALPHA MEASURING SURVEY INSTRUMENTS

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO ACHIEVE GREATER SENSITIVITY, RUGGEDNESS AND EASE OF USE OF ALPHA MEASURING DEVICES IN POTENTIALLY HARSH FIELD ENVIRONMENTS BY APPLYING THIN FILM DIAMOND TO THE INSTRUMENT DETECTOR FACE. TO ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE WE WILL ATTEMPT TO COAT SILVER ACTIVATED ZINC SULPHIDE WITH DIAMOND USING CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION TECHNIQUES DEVELOPED BY THE COMPANY AND APPLY AN APPROPRIATE OPACITY COATING SUCH AS ALUMINUM OR CARBON BLACK. WE WILL THEN CHARACTERIZE THE RESULTING COMPOSITE FOR COATING ADHERENCE, RUGGEDNESS AND OPACITY TO VISIBLE LIGHT. BASED UPON THESE RESULTS, WE WILL ATTEMPT TO COAT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ALPHA SCINTILLATION DETECTORS TO PERMIT FUNCTIONAL TESTING IN EXISTING ALPHA RADIATION SURVEY INSTRUMENTS. PHASE II WILL INVOLVE PRODUCT ENGINEERING AND TESTING OF DIAMOND-PROTECTED ALPHA SURVEY INSTRUMENTS IN A VARIETY OF FIELD ENVIRONMENTS.