DIAMOND COMPOSITES FOR THERMAL MANAGEMENT

THE HIGH PRESSURE/HIGH TEMPERATURE (HP/HT) METHOD IS, AT PRESENT, THE ONLY VIABLE PROCEDURE FOR PRODUCING DIAMOND GRIT FOR USE IN VARIOUS APPLICATIONS INVOLVING GRINDING/ABRASIVE WHEELS. DIAMOND POWDERS PRODUCED BY THIS METHOD ARE MODERATELY EXPENSIVE AND ARE NOT ECONOMICAL (50-70 CENTS/CARAT) FOR USE IN APPLICATIONS INVOLVING THERMAL MANAGEMENT DEVICES, WEAR RESISTANT SURFACES, AND CUTTING/DRILLING TOOLS. IF DIAMOND COATED POWDERS COULD BE PRODUCED ECONOMICALLY (10-20 CENTS/CARAT), THEY WOULD OFFER LARGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW APPLICATIONS AS COST WOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. A SIGNIFICANT INNOVATION IN THE DIAMOND COATING OF POWDERS IS BEING DEVELOPED BY USING FLUIDIZED BED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (CVD) TECHNOLOGY. THE DIAMOND COATED POWDERS CAN BE SUBSEQUENTLY COMPACTED TO SHEETS OR SHAPED PARTS. RESEARCHERS ARE CONCENTRATING ON PRODUCTION OF THE DIAMOND COATED POWDERS, COMPACTION, AND MEASUREMENT OF THE PROPERTIES.