DIAMOND COMPOSITE CERAMICS

RECENT EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES FEASIBILITY OF MANUFACTURING NEW CLASSES OF CERAMICS AND CERMETS CONSISTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART OF DIAMOND. IT IS LIKELY THAT THESE MATERIALS WILL INCLUDE CERAMICS AND CERMETS REINFORCED WITH DIAMOND FIBERS. THESE NEW COMPOSITES ARE EXPECTED TO EXHIBIT AN UNPRECEDENTED RANGE OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, INCLUDING SUPERIOR THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, EXCELLENT RESISTANCE TO THERMAL ____ EXTREME HARDNESS, CONTROLLABLE ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY, AND OTHER PROPERTIES UNIQUE TO DIAMOND. MANUFACTURE OF THESE CERAMICS EMPLOYS PLASMA-ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DIAMOND DEPOSITION TECHNOLOGY RECENTLY DEVELOPED WITH GREAT SUCCESS FOR SYNTHESIS OF DIAMOND THIN FILMS. THE PROPOSED PHASE I WORK WILL DEFINE PROCESSES FOR MAKING DIAMOND COMPOSITE CERAMICS, PREPARE DIAMOND COMPOSITE CERAMICS BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT REINFORCING WHISKERS, AND WILL CHARACTERIZE THESE MATERIALS FOR COMPOSITION, MICROSTRUCTURE, AND FRACTURE STRENGTH. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS - THE FIELDS OF APPLICATIONS FOR DIAMOND COMPOSITE CERAMICS ARE EXTREMELY VARIED. IN THE FEDERAL AREAS OF INTEREST, CRYSTALLUME EXPECTED THESE MATERIALS TO FIND USE IN ADVANCED ARMOR AND KINETIC PENETRATORS, PRECISION GUIDANCE STRUCTURES, AND AIRFRAME AND MISSILE STRUCTURES WITH STEALTH CHARACTERISTICS. A MAJOR ELECTRONIC USE WILL ARISE IN PACKAGING OF THERMALLY-LIMITED ELECTRONIC DEVICES SUCH AS MULTICHIP MODULES (MCMS). WITH DECLINING PRODUCTION COSTS, LARGE-VOLUME APPLICATIONS SUCH AS GUN BARREL LINERS SHOULD COME WITHIN PRACTICAL REACH OF THE TECHNOLOGY. COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF THESE MATERIALS WILL FIRST INCLUDE ELECTRONIC PACKAGING AND SLIDING WEAR SURFACE APPLICATIONS SUCH AS PRECISION MACHINE TOOL BEDS AND WAYS. INTERMEDIATE APPLICATIONS INCLUDE NEW TYPES OF CUTTING TOOLS, WITH LONGER-TERM USES INCLUDING TURBINE BLADES FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE, ENHANCED FUEL EFFICIENCY TURBINES.