Eclipse-chips: understanding gas phase kinetics of nanodiamond nucleation and growth for manufacture of single crystal diamond wafers and diamond nanocrystals

Michigan State University received a $615,400 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) awarded July 1, 2025, with completion targeted for June 30, 2028. This award supports fundamental research investigating gas-phase kinetics of nanodiamond nucleation and growth in plasma-based manufacturing systems. The research aims to develop predictive capabilities for controlling diamond nanoparticle formation in plasma environments—enabling either enhanced synthesis of diamond nanocrystals for biomedical and quantum applications or suppression of nanoparticles that create defects during single-crystal diamond wafer production for microelectronics. The interdisciplinary research, conducted under the Ecosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering (ECLIPSE) initiative, addresses manufacturing scalability challenges for both inch-size diamond wafers and minuscule diamond nanoparticles by elucidating the fundamental mechanisms linking these two manufacturing extremes.

As a sub-grantee, Fraunhofer USA, Inc. Center Midwest (awarded February 19, 2026) provides essential technical support and facilities by designing and modifying a microwave reactor to accommodate required measurements, operating the diamond synthesis reactor, conducting plasma and synthesized nanoparticle measurements and analysis, and reporting research activities to Michigan State University. This collaborative arrangement leverages Fraunhofer's specialized expertise in diamond technologies and reactor systems to advance the project's experimental objectives in plasma-based diamond manufacturing and nanoparticle characterization.

Abstract

This award is made in response to dear colleague letter 24-130, as part of the ecosystem for leading innovation in plasma science and engineering (eclipse) interdisciplinary program. This grant supports research that creates new knowledge related to plasma-based manufacturing of diamond in ways that promote the progress of science, advance national prosperity and secure the national defense. Beyond jewelry, diamond possesses extraordinary thermal and optoelectronic properties and has been deemed the ultimate engineering material of the 21ST century. Outside of large-scale diamond wafers for future microelectronics chips, miniscule diamond nanoparticles are also of huge interest for cutting-edge biomedical or quantum devices. Plasma-enabled manufacturing is the only scalable method with the potential to advance production of both inch-size diamond wafers and diamond nanoparticles with dialed-in properties. While achieving these two size extremes of diamond are usually approached as completely separate manufacturing problems, preliminary data indicates that plasma-based growth of diamond wafers also involve the emergence of diamond nanoparticles in plasma, away from the wafer. This effect is dually enticing, if research can reveal the fundamental mechanisms behind nanoparticle formation. On one hand, this formation could lead to purposeful, controllable synthesis of nanodiamond. On the other hand, these nanoparticles would generate defects, spoiling diamond wafer manufacturing, by bombarding the wafer during growth. This award supports fundamental research to investigate and predict the formation of diamond nanoparticles in the plasma such that their production can be turned up/down (enhanced/suppressed). This research involves several disciplines including manufacturing, electrical engineering, physical chemistry, plasma physics and materials science. The multidisciplinary nature of this research will therefore help create much broader participation of students in research and engineering education. Large-area growth of single-crystal diamond with microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (mpacvd) is a critical technology for future microelectronics. However, within mpacvd some impeding challenges are yet to be solved to realize the full application potential of diamond manufacturing. One of them is the problem of gas-phase nucleation as a mechanism of diamond nanoparticle growth within the mpacvd reactor. First and foremost, limiting this nucleation could propel the capability to grow diamond crystals with fewer defects and to larger sizes, thereby enabling the next microelectronics revolution. On the other hand, harvesting gas-phase-nucleated nanodiamond as a feedstock could enable secondary applications like cooling and optical components printed via additive manufacturing or biomedical devices. The research team uses experiments and modelling to understand the gas-phase kinetics of nanodiamond nucleation and growth. Combination of mpacvd experiments and high-fidelity reactor-level models of plasma/dusty plasma are planned to obtain a detailed picture of gas-phase kinetics fueling molecule-to-cluster-to-nanocrystal transformations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.