Here's a somewhat breathless and superficial feature that may be of interest from yesterday's New York Times on another company venturing into the manufacture of CVD diamonds.
It seems to me that the story may be significant in two ways which have little to do with its information content. For one thing, by conferring the imprimatur of the NYT upon a process which, up to now, has been mostly talked about within the trade it arguably constitutes a kind of breakthrough, "outing" CVD diamonds into wider public awareness. Further, it may constitute a kind of predictor, a forerunner, of disruptive developments, now still potential (but for how much longer?) which are imagined below.
First, check out this video. It's the tail end of a lecture on quantum computing in which the presenter explains in a fascinating and marvelously understandable fashion how he made CVD diamonds, in, basically, a souped up kitchen microwave (which is essentially what Nanosolar, the company featured in the NYT story proposes to do). The relevant part starts at 36 minutes into the vid.
Note how easy and matter-of-fact the presenter makes the manufacture seem. Nothing forbidding about it or particularly challenging even: the physicist's version of kitchen table technology. So simple, so ordinary.
Hence, so (potentially) disruptive. Almost a year ago now, I speculated, in another discussion group, that I could see this process modularized and shrunk down to counter size, a big white refrigerator looking thing with dials and a keyboard to punch in the parameters. and suggested that someone might make a fortune selling 50 units in Tel Aviv, a hundred in Mumbai, twenty each in New York, Los Angeles, Antwerp and Hong Kong. And speculated further that Zale's and Walmart would get such units and before long we'd have cubic carbonia battling CZ for market share and that this would mean end of the mystique, the end of "diamonds are forever."
And while Nanosolar as described in the NYT appears not to be targeting quite that level of consumerism (yet?) I do get the sense that with its advent (and there will doubtless be others) the tent flap is being vigorously shaken.
Post subject: Re: CVD Diamonds in the New York Times
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:18 am
Gold Member
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:01 pm Posts: 1902 Location: Pine City, NY and Dothan, AL
Am I confused, or does the author not write what he means? "at a cost that is on par with the best naturally occurring gems". If the cost is the same as natural diamonds, what's the point?
Also, buying solar credits does not reduce their carbon footprint to zero, it just makes them pay for it.
Post subject: Re: CVD Diamonds in the New York Times
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 9:58 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:44 pm Posts: 1079 Location: Washington State
Yep, a quantum computer is the goal but a side effect is to be able to grow colorless diamonds cheaply and rapidly. This guy is a physicist working on this and has grown his own diamonds for his wedding jewelry. This video starts at 36 minutes or so, but if you drag the progression bar to about 45 minutes you can cut to the chase and even watch a time lapse of some diamond plates being grown over about a 3 day time frame.
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