Developments in CVD-diamond synthesis during the past decade

Understanding of the CVD-diamond deposition process has progressed to a level at which the technical challenges of producing diamond are no longer the main barrier to product introduction. Costs have decreased significantly to be competitive with existing products while offering superior performance. Some products such as tools have already penetrated the market, whereas others that represent a more difficult technical challenge - such as active devices - require much more development. Thermalmanagement products and radiation detectors remain more a challenge of cost rather than of technical performance.