Method of Growing Single Crystal Diamond Assisted by Polycrystalline Diamond Growth

A method of growing single crystal diamond assisted by polycrystalline diamond in a single continuous chemical vapor deposition growth cycle, the method comprising:

• a) thermally mating single crystal diamond seeds on a flat top substrate holder so as to provide a growth surface of a combined single crystal diamond and polycrystalline diamond substrate that is unrestricted by the substrate holder;
• b) providing process gasses and forming a plasma to grow both single crystal diamond and polycrystalline diamond on the growth surface, where the polycrystalline diamond grown adjacent to the single crystal diamond shields lateral surfaces of the growing single crystal diamond from the plasma and process gases, thereby improving thermal uniformity across the growing single crystal diamond during the single chemical vapor deposition growth;
• and
• c) terminating the chemical vapor deposition growth of the single crystal diamond without multiple growth cycles, thereby forming a diamond without growth lines and defects associated with multiple growth cycles, while allowing lateral growth with respect to a growth face of the diamond seed that is unrestricted by the substrate holder in a single process run.