Research Activities

Being a chemistry-based research group, our main aims are to try to better understand the physics and chemistry of diamond growth. This involves analysing the growth conditions for diamond CVD using a variety of in situ gas-phase diagnostic methods, such as laser spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, optical emission spectroscopy, as well as post-growth analysis such as laser Raman spectroscopy, SIMS and XPS. We complement this experimental work with modelling of the plasma chemistry (along with Yuri Mankelevich at Moscow State University) and kinetic Monte Carlo modelling of the growth process with colleagues in the Theoretical Chemistry section. However, we also have a number of projects that are more applied, such as developing CVD diamond for electronic applications, fast photomultiplier tubes, micro-plasma arrays, and X-ray lenses, growth of CVD diamond on wires and fibres to make lightweight, stiff fibre-reinforced composite materials, field emission and thermionic emission devices, and diamond-based electrochemical sensing. A detailed review of our research activities can be found on the publications page. Some of the other activities that we are doing in the group can been seen by following the links on the menu on the left.

The DC arcjet reactor DC plasma
The DC arcjet reactor previously used to grow diamond films at high rates. Ripples in the DC plasma reactor.