Diamond, Graphite & Carbon Materials

Diamond is a well-known material that commands many excellent characteristics including great hardness, high thermal conductivity, high-optical transparency, and excellent chemical stability. In this work, we study the practical and economical usage of Nanocrystalline Diamond (NCD) as a first surface in an anti-reflective coating upon a traditional substrate. Using the measured index of refraction and extinction coefficient values, multi-layer coating solutions for different spectral regions such as the visible or infrared wavelengths were developed using OpenFilters optical design software. The simulation results from OpenFilters software indicates comparable transmissivity and reflectivity performance to known solutions while providing enhanced mechanical properties such as improved breakage and scratch performance and resistance to impact from airborne particles. Pioneering work on low temperature, high-quality diamond deposition methods by AKHAN Semiconductor Inc. has opened the doors for the use of diamond in a wide variety of optical applications. It is shown that Nanocrystalline Diamond (NCD) coatings with the grain size of 10-100 nm can significantly enhance the breakage, scratch performance and hydrophobicity of glass displays and lenses. With Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) device integration now possible utilizing nanocrystalline diamond on a wide variety of optical substrates, new opportunities are now possible for the next generation of optical sensing technologies.