Diamonds are more than just gemstones. It is the hardest natural substance on earth and has excellent qualities for improving semiconductors, materials used in electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy technology.
Michigan State University has received a $3 million National Science Foundation grant as part of the NSF’s Future Manufacturing program. Fraunhofer USA Center Midwest and Fraunhofer USA Center Mid-Atlantic. The team is using Artificial intelligence grows high-quality diamonds in the lab. This could be the key to the future of U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and talent development.
“This is an exciting opportunity to explore how AI can improve semiconductor manufacturing processes and develop pathways for employees to transition to Industry 4.0 careers that integrate digital and physical technologies,” said John Papapolimelou, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “With support from NSF, MSU’s world-class researchers and Fraunhofer collaborators are positioned to make a significant contribution to the future of U.S. semiconductor production.”
But growing high-quality lab diamonds is much more difficult than you might think.
“Diamond is a very special material and only forms under very specific conditions.” Rebecca Anthony, associate professor of engineering; “Gemstone diamonds are actually of lower quality than the types of diamonds grown for research purposes.”
Many semiconductor materials are grown in the laboratory using thin layers of a single material. This thin layer serves as a base for growing another material layer by layer on top of it. However, diamonds grow best on their own. The new diamond layer will be created using a process called microwave plasma, a specialty of the Fraunhofer U.S. Center Midwest in partnership with MSU. As each layer grows, the width of the material increases, which can introduce defects that affect the material’s properties.
“What’s even more frustrating is that this difficult growth process takes a long time. This means that once you realize the existence of a flaw, it’s too late to go back and remake the diamond. ” Anthony said. “That’s the big challenge: growing high-quality diamond material with as few defects as possible.” By understanding how they form in the first place”
To do this, Anthony and her team use images from DSLR cameras, hyperspectral imaging system cameras, and forward-looking infrared cameras. Images from these cameras will be analyzed using AI by a team at the Fraunhofer USA Center Mid-Atlantic in Maryland to help the MSU team examine the growth of the diamond material layer by layer and identify if and where defects appear.
““With this information, we can predict when and where defects will form, so we can adjust the process during growth to prevent them from forming. In the future, we want to automate this even further, as AI will be able to set and adjust the parameters to grow the required diamond material,” said Anthony.
The grant also focuses on helping to develop future semiconductor professionals and increase talent in the talent pipeline. This grant will support summer camp opportunities for K-12 students as well as in-school training for students. Ann Arbor’s Washtenaw Community College provides support to adults already in the workforce who are seeking new career opportunities and pursuing education. MSU undergraduate and graduate students.
This project is also in partnership with Automation Alley. A nonprofit technology business association that accelerates business growth and global competitiveness through Industry 4.0 technology and innovation, a technology that stands for the digital transformation of manufacturing and production with smart or AI-based capabilities.
This research began as a seed-funded project through the MSU Research Foundation’s Strategic Partnerships Grant Program. Anthony and her team worked together to coordinate research efforts to obtain preliminary data critical to securing NSF funding. Such projects will collectively help shape and advance the MSU Research Foundation’s Materials Advancement and Research Solutions Hub.
“We need to improve semiconductor materials and the workforce of the future now,” Anthony says. “The sooner we deploy these technologies and opportunities, the better.”
