Apollo Diamond Inc. was a company based in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
,
that was able to produce nearly flawless single
crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macr ...
diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...
wafers and crystals for potential use in the
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radiati ...
,
nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
, and consumer
gem
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...
markets. The company used
chemical vapor deposition
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a vacuum deposition method used to produce high quality, and high-performance, solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films.
In typical CVD, the wafer (subst ...
(CVD) for the production of their gem-sized
synthetic diamond
Lab-grown diamond (LGD; also called laboratory-grown, laboratory-created, man-made, artisan-created, artificial, synthetic, or cultured diamond) is diamond that is produced in a controlled technological process (in contrast to naturally formed ...
crystals, and obtained several U.S.
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling disclo ...
s on the process. The company's techniques were able to produce
color
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...
less gems, in contrast to previous diamond-making techniques which usually produced colored diamonds.
In 2011, many assets of Apollo Diamond were acquired by
Scio Diamond Technology Corporation
Scio Diamond Technology Corporation was a synthetic diamond manufacturer that produced near flawless single-crystal diamonds for gemstone and industrial applications, in Greenville, South Carolina. The company produced chemical vapor depositio ...
, which said it would use the technology at its South Carolina facility.
New Company Plans to Produce Synthetic Diamonds
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See also
* List of synthetic diamond manufacturers Synthetic diamonds are produced via high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology. These diamonds have numerous industrial and commercial uses including cutting tools, thermal conductors and consumer diamond g ...
Notes
External linksreat
SCIO Diamond website
''Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fran ...
'', September 11, 2003
Diamonds on Demand
'' Smithsonian'', June, 2008
US Patents awarded to Apollo Diamond
May 2005
Synthetic diamond
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