Made-to-order diamonds make excellent lasers

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

An extract from http://www.physorg.com/news191137627.html

"The major achievement is that we are able to use synthetic diamond to create high performing laser devices," Mildren said. "We are now in good position to explore the highly exotic laser properties of diamond, many of which are not so widely appreciated.

"For example, the speed at which heat travels through diamond is the highest of all known materials, and it is hoped that this property will enable us to simultaneously miniaturise the device and increase the laser beam power to unprecedented levels."

The diamonds used in the laser research are colourless, approximately eight millimetres long, and weigh a bit less than a carat. They are grown to the researcher's specifications using a process called chemical vapour deposition that essentially creates the crystal lattice carbon by carbon atom and layer by layer on top of a large flat diamond crystal substrate. The synthetic diamond forms the core component of what is called a Raman laser, a type of laser that is optically stimulated rather than electrically powered.

 

[Karl_K]

they were working on using diamonds for lasers back in 91 when I was in college the biggest problem was inclusions would always make them blow up.
It is interesting that cvd seems to have solved that by creating them clean enough.