Method of joining diamond structures
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsLawrence T. Kabacoff, John Barkyoumb
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for bonding two diamond surfaces together by (1) forming a layer of opaque nondiamond carbon material between the two mond surfaces; (2) pressing the diamond surfaces together with the opaque nondiamond material sandwiched between the diamond surfaces; (3) used pulse lased light to quickly melt all the opaque nondiamond carbon material before a significant amount of heat is lost through the diamond surface; and then (4) allowing the resulting carbon melt to cool and solidify as polycrystalline diamond which grows homoepitaxially from the diamond surfaces, bonding those surfaces together.
Claims26
A process for bonding two complex diamond structures together, comprising:
- (1) forming a sandwiched structure of a layer of opaque nondiamond carbon material between a surface of one complex diamond structure and a surface of a second complex diamond structure wherein the two complex diamond structures are to be bonded together at the two diamond surfaces and wherein the two diamond surfaces are oriented to each other so that the two complex diamond structures are oriented to each other in a specific desired way;
- (2) using pulsed lased light of a frequency to which the diamond is transparent to quickly melt all the opaque nondiamond carbon material before a significant amount of heat is lost through the diamond surfaces;
- and then
- (3) allowing the resulting carbon melt to cool and solidify as polycrystalline diamond which grows homoepitaxially from the diamond surfaces, bonding those surfaces and thus the complex diamond pieces together;
- wherein in steps (1), (2), and (3) sufficient pressure is applied in a direction which holds the sandwiched structure together but wherein the pressure is not sufficiently high to squeeze molten carbon from between the diamond surfaces.
The process of claim 11 wherein the single crystal diamond surfaces are bonded together.
A process for bonding two diamond plates together, comprising:
- (1) forming a sandwiched structure of a layer of opaque nondiamond carbon material between a surface of one diamond plate and a surface of a second diamond plate wherein the two diamond plates are to be bonded together at the two diamond surfaces and wherein the two diamond surfaces are oriented to each other so that the two diamond plates are oriented to each other in a specific desired way;
- (2) using pulsed lased light of a frequency to which the diamond is transparent to quickly melt all the opaque nondiamond carbon material before a significant amount of heat is lost through the diamond surfaces;
- and then
- (3) allowing the resulting carbon meld to cool and solidify as polycrystalline diamond which grows homoepitaxially from the diamond surfaces, bonding those surfaces and thus the diamond plates together;
- wherein in steps (1), (2), and (3) sufficient pressure is applied in a direction which holds the sandwiched structure together but wherein the pressure is not sufficiently high to squeeze molten carbon from between the diamond surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.