The dawning of the diamond age
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2016-05-16 |
| Journal | C&EN Global Enterprise |
| Authors | Matt Davenportļ»æ |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāA well-dressed gentleman sits in the lobby of an upscale hotel in Washington, D.C., holding a black box full of diamonds. The man, Adam Khan, isnāt a jewel thief, but he is trying to sell diamonds. Well, lab-grown diamond films to be accurate. Khan is the founder and chief executive officer of Akhan Semiconductor, and heās trying to usher in the age of diamond electronics. Khan and like-minded researchers think diamond and its exceptional properties could replace current electronic stalwarts such as silicon and outperform other advanced materials in high-powered applications. This optimism has been sparked by the ability to grow larger, higher-quality diamond films than ever before. Yet many experts also see several technical hurdles to overcome before commercial electronic devices will capitalize on diamondās extreme properties. And some people believe these hurdles could take many years to clear. Khan is not among those people. Akhan launched about three