ECLIPSE-CHIPS: Understanding Gas Phase Kinetics of Nanodiamond Nucleation and Growth for Manufacture of Single Crystal Diamond Wafers and Diamond Nanocrystals

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $615,400 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

This award is made in response to Dear Colleague Letter 24-130, as part of the ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering (ECLIPSE) interdisciplinary program. This grant supports research that creates new knowledge related to plasma-based manufacturing of diamond in ways that promote the progress of science, advance national prosperity and secure the national defense. Beyond jewelry, diamond possesses extraordinary thermal and optoelectronic properties and has been deemed the ultimate engineering material of the 21st century. Outside of large-scale diamond wafers for future microelectronics chips, miniscule diamond nanoparticles are also of huge interest for cutting-edge biomedical or quantum devices. Plasma-enabled manufacturing is the only scalable method with the potential to advance production of both inch-size diamond wafers and diamond nanoparticles with dialed-in properties. While achieving these two size extremes of diamond are usually approached as completely separate manufacturing problems, preliminary data indicates that plasma-based growth of diamond wafers also involve the emergence of diamond nanoparticles in plasma, away from the wafer. This effect is dually enticing, if research can reveal the fundamental mechanisms behind nanoparticle formation. On one hand, this formation could lead to purposeful, controllable synthesis of nanodiamond. On the other hand, these nanoparticles would generate defects, spoiling diamond wafer manufacturing,

Key facts

NSF award ID
2512061
Awardee
Michigan State University (MI)
SAM.gov UEI
R28EKN92ZTZ9
PI
Sergey V Baryshev
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
MFG MACHINES & METROLOGY, MATERIAL TRANSFORMATION PROC, NANOMANUFACTURING, Ecosystem Leading Innovation Plasma S&E
Estimated total
$615,400
Funds obligated
$615,400
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2028