Laser written components in diamond for sensor applications

2018-19: MSc Diamond Science & Technology includes the following modules:
CH976 Novel and Efficient Methods of Material Synthesis
PX904 Properties and Characterization of Materials
PX905 Defects and Dopants
CH977 Theory and Modelling of Materials
PX906 Manufacturing the Future: Industrial Diamond
CH978 Surfaces, Interfaces and Coatings
CH979 Devices and Fabrication
PX907 Diamond Photonics and Quantum Devices
CH980 Applications of High Performance Materials
CH981 Mini Research Project 1 and 2
And either CH914 or PX908:
CH914 Electrochemistry and Sensors
PX908 Biomedical Optics and Applications

Project:
Direct laser writing with ultrashort pulses has strong potential as a disruptive innovation for diamond technology. The technique brings the ability to fabricate structures in three dimensions inside diamond, surpassing constraints from previous planar architectures. Using different processing regimes, a range of different components are possible for electrical, optical and quantum applications. The research proposed has potential for both industrial and academic impact.
The aims and objectives are:
1. To understand the physical basis for laser induced breakdown of the diamond, and how this may be tailored to optimise the performance of laser written components. This will include consideration of the light-matter interaction within the diamond and also subsequent breakdown mechanisms once a focal plasma has been established.
2. The development of a set of processing conditions for laser written structures with optimum performance in electrical, optical and quantum applications.
3. To utilise the developed knowledge to laser fabricate advanced sensor devices inside diamond.
This project is run in partnership with Opsydia, a spin out company established to commercialise the technology. The studentship provides funding for 4 years starting with a one year Masters course in Diamond Technology at Warwick University, including two mini-projects at partners that are closely linked to the PhD project, prior to starting the PhD/DPhil at Oxford University.

Students: A CDT is first and foremost a training activity. The students will benefit from an interdisciplinary programme taught by leaders in their respective fields from our eight partner universities and industrial collaborators, focusing on the fundamentals of material science, from the classical to the quantum, but with an emphasis on diamond and related materials and application driven themes. Students will be recruited from a wide range of disciplines, maximising both quality and diversity to provide a richer experience. Our structure ensures that our students will experience at least three different research environments during their studentship; the PhD home university and two different partner institutes (of which one can be industry or that of our international academic partners). This greatly enhances the student experience, promotes mobility and encourages research across disciplines. When they graduate Diamond Science and Technology (DST) students, with a breadth of training no one institution could deliver alone will be ideally placed for employment in academia and industry. Our students will also be able to communicate across disciplines and make the required DST transformative breakthroughs in a wide range of societally important areas, e.g. electronics, optics, quantum computing, photonics, composite materials, energy efficiency and sensing.

Industry and Economy: Our industrial partners are focused on products, jobs and wealth creation. To achieve this they need appropriately skilled people and university R&D to sustain and grow their business in a world where competition is intense. The training programme has been devised to produce graduates who understand the interdisciplinary challenges faced and can communicate across fields, for employment in industries innovating in DST or other high performance material enabled products, businesses that exploit these materials or new businesses created. The industrial letters of support clearly demonstrate the demand for our students and the enthusiasm for the research. Market sectors such as electronics, photonics, sensors, defence and security, materials, abrasives, communications and healthcare will benefit. Through collaboration, industry will gain access to world-class academics and facilities. The training programme is also accessible to industrialists who will profit from accessing MSc modules. With the knowledge gained, companies will be able rapidly exploit DST technologies to position themselves at the cutting-edge. This CDT CDT will enable joined-up and efficient collaboration between universities, companies and users, greatly strengthening impact.

Society: Diamond is so much more than a gemstone. This CDT will actively drive DST in areas of huge societal impact such as, energy (e.g. efficient power devices, nuclear safety), the environment (e.g. decontamination, water quality monitoring), food safety (e.g. sensing contaminants) and health (e.g. ultra-high resolution functional imaging). Inside Science (11/7/13; www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b036kxv8) very recently reported on the growing importance of DST to many aspects of modern society and highlighted the £20M Element Six Ltd investment in a new diamond research centre in the UK. We will ensure that DST is used to motivate school children via innovative approaches such as "How to grow a diamond" BBC Bang Goes the Theory, 2011, (>81,000 hits on www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8qgE4LkZa4). To bring diamond to the forefront of public attention we will showcase the work through exhibitions using thought provoking and fun demonstrations, host public understanding lectures, produce podcasts/videos about our work, and host an interactive web-based forum where people have an opportunity to contact "the scientist" in order to ask questions about DST. This is in addition to publishing the results of our research in leading scientific journals, at international conferences and through the DST CDT website.