DIAMOND TOOL PIECE

• Main Authors: SCHOOFS, Frank, HALL, Jacqueline, BODKIN, Richard
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 14.12.2022
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUSPOLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS THEREFOR; BORING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; CRYSTAL GROWTH; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE-CRYSTAL-GROWTH; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING; TURNING; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL ORUNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL

A high-pressure high-temperature, HPHT, diamond tool piece and a method of producing an HPHT diamond tool piece. At least a portion of the HPHT diamond tool piece comprises an aggregated nitrogen centre to C-nitrogen centre ratio of greater than 30%. The method includes irradiating an HPHT diamond material to introduce vacancies in the diamond crystal lattice, annealing the HPHT diamond material such that at least a portion of the HPHT diamond material comprises an aggregated nitrogen centre to C-nitrogen centre ratio of greater than 30%, and processing the HPHT diamond material to form an HPHT diamond tool piece.