April 18, 2006 – sp3 Diamond Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, CA, has introduced a new chemical-vapor deposition (CVD) reactor for producing diamond in a variety of process and tool applications.

The Model 650 hot filament CVD reactor, a fourth-generation tool, adds integrated process control for allowing unattended operation and external monitoring. It can be configured to produce finely tuned deposition processes in ultrasmooth nanocrystalline or rougher microcrystalline structures in thicknesses ranging from submicron to greater than 50-microns.

Applications for the new tool include depositing diamond on 300mm wafers, wear coatings, substrates for thermal management, amorphous silicon deposition for solar cells, electrodes for water treatment and electrochemistry, passivation layers for semiconductor chucks, and cutting tools.

The Model 650 comes in a standard production or R&D configuration. A uniform or mixed batch of irregular shaped substrates are supported with proprietary fixturing, while flat substrates are coated with a standard planar filament array. An optional 3D filament array produces process uniformity without using mechanisms inside the process chamber.