Element Six Named Prism Award Finalist for Its Single Crystal Diamond Technology

Element Six, a world leader in synthetic diamond supermaterials and member of The De Beers Group of Companies, today announced its single crystal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond technology has been named a Prism Award finalist in the materials and coatings category.  Hosted by SPIE and Photonics Media, the Prism Awards honor the best new photonic innovations and products on the market.

"As a company dedicated to solving critical challenges in optics, we are thrilled to have our single crystal CVD diamond recognized by the faculty of the Prism Awards, especially among such exceptional industry peers," stated Daniel Twitchen, head of CVD business development at Element Six. "Our research and development efforts behind single crystal diamond span more than a decade, resulting in a superior material with immense engineering potential. This extraordinary material has served as the basis for product applications in optics, thermal management and abrasives—accomplishments which are underscored by this recognition."

Single crystal synthetic diamond can be produced by both CVD and high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) synthesis, and has remarkable properties including high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, exceptional hardness, wide spectral band and electrochemical behavior. The new grade of single crystal CVD diamond that Element Six has developed has been instrumental in providing solutions that have been previously unattainable in optical settings, such as infrared (IR) spectroscopy, novel laser technologies with potential applications in astronomy or medicine, as well as high-power lasers.

Celebrating the best of the photonics industry, the Prism Awards are judged by a panel of leading industry experts, venture capitalists, luminaries and visionaries. The awards program is organized with SPIE Photonics West, the world's largest multidisciplinary event focusing on photonics technologies, where the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Feb. 1, 2017 in San Francisco, California.