Diamond detectors

BAE Systems is to take a 50 per cent holding in Diamond Detectors, a subsidiary company set up by Element Six to manufacture diamond detectors and sensors for radiation monitoring applications.

Diamond Detectors was formed in 2007 with the aim of incorporating synthetic diamond made by chemical vapour deposition developed by Element Six into novel detectors for a range of markets.

It is one of the first companies to be included in the growing investment portfolio of Element Six’s venture capital fund, E6 Ventures.

The company is focusing on the development of customised detectors and will initially target four main markets: high energy physics, nuclear monitoring, radiotherapy dosimetry and deep-UV detection.

Using diamond as a detector is not a new idea. As early as the 1920s, highly selected natural diamonds were being used for UV detectors.

The recent commercial availability of high purity single crystal diamond with excellent bulk uniformity is, however, a new development and opens up new potential markets for novel detectors in a wide range of industries.