Smart Materials & Structures

Diamond is a well-known material that commands many excellent characteristics including great hardness,high thermal conductivity, high-optical transparency, and excellent chemical stability. In this work, we study the practical and economical usage of Nanocyrstalline Diamond (NCD) as a fi rst surface in an anti-refl ective coating upon a traditional substrate. Using measured index of refraction and extinction coeffi cient values, multi-layer coating solutions for diff erent spectral regions such as the visible or infrared wavelengths were developed using OpenFilters optical design soft ware. Th e simulation results from OpenFilters soft ware indicate comparable transmissivity and refl ectivity performance to known solutions while providing enhanced mechanical properties such as improved breakage and scratch performance and resistance to impact from airborne particles. Pioneering work on low temperature, high quality diamond deposition methods by AKHAN Semiconductor Inc. has opened the doors for the use of diamond in a wide variety of optical applications. It is shown that Nanocrystalline Diamond (NCD) coatings with grain size of 10-100 nm can signifi cantly enhance the breakage, scratch performance and hydrophobicity of glass displays and lenses. With Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) device integration now possible utilizing nanocrystalline diamond on a wide variety of optical substrates, new opportunities are now possible for the next generation of optical sensing technologies.