US4191735A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Growth of synthetic diamonds
Assignee: National Research Development Corp UK
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Filing: 1978-02-17
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Granted: 1980-03-04
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Expires: 1998-02-17
Abstract
Abstract A method of growing a diamond crystal which comprises bombarding the diamond with a flux of carbon ions of sufficient energy to penetrate the diamond crystal and cause crystal growth which is at least predominantly internal, the temperature of the crystal being at least 400° C. and less than the graphitisation temperature, such that the diamond crystal structure is maintained during growth.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard S. Nelson
- 👤 John A. Hudson
- 👤 David J. Mazey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 16:11
CPC Classifications
C; C30; C30B; C30B29/00; C30B29/02; C30B29/04; C01; C01B; C01B32/00; C01B32/25; C01B32/26; C30B1/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
62 words
A method of growing a diamond crystal which comprises bombarding the diamond with a flux of carbon ions of sufficient energy to penetrate the diamond crystal and cause crystal growth which is at least predominantly internal, the temperature of the crystal being at least 400° C. and less than the graphitisation temperature, such that the diamond crystal structure is maintained during growth.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
62 words
A method of growing a diamond crystal which comprises bombarding the diamond with a flux of carbon ions of sufficient energy to penetrate the diamond crystal and cause crystal growth which is at least predominantly internal, the temperature of the crystal being at least 400° C. and less than the graphitisation temperature, such that the diamond crystal structure is maintained during growth.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the carbon ion energy is at least 600 eV.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the carbon ion energy is at least 750 eV.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the ion energy is at least 1 keV.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the ion energy is no greater than 100 keV.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the ion energy is less than 20 keV.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the temperature of the crystal is at least 600° C. and less than the graphitisation temperature during bombardment.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the crystal temperature is at lease 800° C. and less than the graphitisation temperature.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the crystal temperature is at least 1000° C. and less than the graphitisation temperature.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the dose rate represented by the current density lies in the range 0.01-10 mA/cm 2 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the ion beam passes through a vacuum chamber in which the pressure is no greater than 10 -3 torr.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 11, in which the pressure is no less than 10 -9 torr.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the ion beam consists essentially of carbon ions.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the diamond is bombarded with a flux of carbon ions containing an ionic impurity whereby the impurity is incorporated into the diamond crystal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 14, in which the flux of carbon ions contains no more than 3% of the ionic impurity.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 14, in which the ion flux contains no more than 1% of the impurity.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1, in which the carbon ion flux contains an ionic impurity whereby the crystal is doped with an impurity.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 17, in which the ionic impurity is an ion of boron.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 14, in which the ionic impurity effects colouration of the diamond.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 1, in which one or more diamonds are subjected to vibration during bombardment so that directionally uniform growth thereof is maintained.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to any of claim 1, in which a plurality of diamonds are supported in close mutual proximity during bombardment and in which lateral growth thereof is promoted so that the diamonds form a polycrystalline mass.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 21, in which lateral growth is promoted by variation in the orientation of the diamonds with respect to the ion flux.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-03-04 | 1983-09-03 | 1984-03-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-03-04 | 1987-09-03 | 1988-03-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-03-04 | 1991-09-03 | 1992-03-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |