HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS OF SYNTHETIC DIAMOND

Attempts at diamond synthesis began almost as soon as it was recognized that diamond is the high pressure form of carbon. It was not until the 1955 announcement from the General Electric Research Laboratories that a process was described in detail which could be duplicated by other scientists and thus met the criteria for acceptance as a valid achievement. Before diamond could be duplicated, high pressure techniques had to be perfected. The two outstanding innovators in this field are P.W. Bridgman and H.T. Hall. Outlines are given of the static high pressure, shock wave, low pressure, and sintering techniques, as well as the current status of availability and prospects for the future. © 1979.