Element Six
Encyclopedia
Element Six is a company specialised in providing synthetic diamond, cubic boron nitride and other superhard materials for industrial use. It was created in 1946 and is owned by Umicore
and De Beers
. The main operations are in Ireland, South Africa, Sweden, UK, China and the Ukraine with global sales and distribution.
In 2002, the company changed its name to Element Six and its business focus moved towards building an enterprise based on advanced material applications for increasingly sophisticated engineering customers backed by global technical support and a strong research and development organization.
Advanced diamond products is a growing business activity based on developments in diamond synthesis technology that allows the extreme properties of diamond, in addition to its superhard qualities, to be exploited in a range of new applications. These applications use diamond's exceptional optical, thermal, mechanical and electronic properties. Application areas lie, amongst others, in telecommunications, high energy physics research, advanced electronic components designs for radio frequency and high power electronics, X-rays and lasers.
(CVD), opened up this novel manufacturing process to diamond production. Research at Element Six's UK site at Ascot is considered to be one of the most advanced in the world based on this synthesis technology.
Diamond synthesis is also in one of the most exciting periods in its history. Progress in both HPHT and CVD synthesis is leading to more consistent,higher purity diamond that can be used in novel application areas. In addition, Element Six has acquired novel materials technologies such as ScD, a cemented diamond- silicon carbide composite that has potential wide industrial application.
and Warwick
Universities in the UK, Stuttgart
and Kiel
Universities in Germany, the Academy of Sciences
in Belarus and Australia's University of Melbourne
.
At a business level, the company has set up a number of joint ventures aimed at bringing new products and technologies to market. One of the most recent is a collaboration agreement with Filtronic plc is coupled to the setting up of a new subsidiary, Diamond Microwave Devices Ltd to develop novel diamond semiconductor materials and processing technology to create a new generation of high power semiconductor devices for use in microwave transmitters and power amplifiers that could be used in telecommunications applications.
Umicore
Umicore N.V. is a multinational materials technology company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Formed in 1989 by the merger of four companies in the mining and smelting industries, Umicore has since reshaped itself into a more technology-focused business encompassing such areas as the refining...
and De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
. The main operations are in Ireland, South Africa, Sweden, UK, China and the Ukraine with global sales and distribution.
History
As De Beers Industrial Diamond, the company was set up initially to concentrate on the industrial applications of natural diamond. Following the development of diamond synthesis in the early 1950s, the company acquired the technology and by 1958 was able to manufacture material based on a high pressure, high temperature process. By the 1960s, the company was offering a range of diamond grit products that was followed by nickel and coated diamond materials plus grinding products based on cubic boron nitride. In 1992, breakthroughs in chemical vapour deposition technology opened the opportunity to synthesize diamond films and a new raft of application areas became possible.In 2002, the company changed its name to Element Six and its business focus moved towards building an enterprise based on advanced material applications for increasingly sophisticated engineering customers backed by global technical support and a strong research and development organization.
Products
Products offered by Element Six fall into two broad categories - superabrasives and advanced diamond products. The largest part of the company's business today is in superabrasives. These products are based on the world's hardest materials such as synthetic diamond and cubic boron nitride that are used in a wide range of cutting, grinding and drilling applications range from oil and gas exploration to machine tools, automotive part manufacturing and marble production.Advanced diamond products is a growing business activity based on developments in diamond synthesis technology that allows the extreme properties of diamond, in addition to its superhard qualities, to be exploited in a range of new applications. These applications use diamond's exceptional optical, thermal, mechanical and electronic properties. Application areas lie, amongst others, in telecommunications, high energy physics research, advanced electronic components designs for radio frequency and high power electronics, X-rays and lasers.
Research and Development
Element Six is a leader in the development of advanced diamond material synthesis. Research has also been considered an important activity and the company set up its Diamond Research Laboratory based in South Africa only a year after launch. This led to the company having its own diamond manufacturing facility based on high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) technology based on work carried out by Dr.Henry Dyer, who was to become the managing director of De Beers Industrial Diamond Division and was responsible for the considerable expansion of the company and it's products and facilities. In the 1980s, the synthesis of diamond using chemical vapor depositionChemical vapor deposition
Chemical vapor deposition is a chemical process used to produce high-purity, high-performance solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films. In a typical CVD process, the wafer is exposed to one or more volatile precursors, which react and/or...
(CVD), opened up this novel manufacturing process to diamond production. Research at Element Six's UK site at Ascot is considered to be one of the most advanced in the world based on this synthesis technology.
Diamond synthesis is also in one of the most exciting periods in its history. Progress in both HPHT and CVD synthesis is leading to more consistent,higher purity diamond that can be used in novel application areas. In addition, Element Six has acquired novel materials technologies such as ScD, a cemented diamond- silicon carbide composite that has potential wide industrial application.
Collaboration and partnership
At a research level, Element Six works with a number of universities and research establishments worldwide that a working on pushing the boundaries of advanced materials such as synthetic diamond. In February 2007 for example, the company announced its participation in a three-year EC-funded project called Engineered Quantum Information in Nanostructured Diamond (EQUIND) aimed at developing new technologies for quantum computing. This project, led by the Ecole Normale Superiere de Cachan near Paris also involves BristolUniversity of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
and Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
Universities in the UK, Stuttgart
University of Stuttgart
The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties....
and Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
Universities in Germany, the Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is the national academy of Belarus.-History:...
in Belarus and Australia's University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
.
At a business level, the company has set up a number of joint ventures aimed at bringing new products and technologies to market. One of the most recent is a collaboration agreement with Filtronic plc is coupled to the setting up of a new subsidiary, Diamond Microwave Devices Ltd to develop novel diamond semiconductor materials and processing technology to create a new generation of high power semiconductor devices for use in microwave transmitters and power amplifiers that could be used in telecommunications applications.