UV used to shape diamond
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Macquarie researchers have taken diamond manipulation to the atomic level.
Engineers have developed a laser technique capable of modifying diamond surfaces with atomic-level precision in standard air environments.
Traditionally, such delicate manipulation required bulky vacuum equipment, making this streamlined approach a notable advancement.
The new technique uses deep ultraviolet (UV) laser light to carve away carbon atoms from a diamond’s outermost layer.
Each pulse of the laser triggers a two-photon reaction that removes atoms with pinpoint accuracy, down to just one per cent of an atomic layer.
The ability to fine-tune material properties with such finesse could be a game-changer for industries where every atom counts.
One discovery surprised even the researchers: laser-treated diamond surfaces exhibited up to seven times higher conductivity.
This dramatic boost, verified by collaborators at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, hints at the untapped potential of diamonds as a material for next-generation electronics.
“We were amazed that such a minor adjustment to the surface could yield such a substantial boost in conductivity,” said Professor Richard Mildren, who co-led the study.
Dr Mojtaba Moshkani, the project’s lead, called the accomplishment “remarkable”.
Diamonds have long been valued in the tech world for their exceptional thermal conductivity and resistance to electrical breakdown.
However, engineering challenges have slowed their adoption in high-power and high-frequency devices.
The Macquarie team’s laser technique could turn this tide, making diamonds more practical for use in semiconductors and beyond.
The method is not just precise but astonishingly fast.
The team demonstrated it could remove a fraction of a monolayer in just 0.2 milliseconds, hinting at the scalability needed for industrial applications like wafer processing.
This capability positions the technology as a potential tool for high-speed, high-precision manufacturing.
Quantum technology enthusiasts are also paying close attention.
Diamond surfaces are critical in stabilising quantum states used in quantum computing, and the ability to manipulate them at an atomic scale could open new doors.
Dr Moshkani’s team sees this as just the beginning, with broader applications yet to be explored.
Adding to the intrigue, researchers noticed subtle shifts in the diamond’s electronic structure, including changes to its valence band and a potential reorganisation of its atomic steps.
These findings could inform new approaches to enhancing conductivity or optimising surfaces for quantum devices.
More details have been published in Applied Surface Science.
