Applied Diamond has developed an alternative process to brazing to fix diamond windows to flanges and other assemblies.  From a mechanical standpoint, there is a relationship between the minimum thickness and open aperture of a diamond window that will survive the vacuum brazing process.  This is because of the difficulty in handling the stress created by the large thermal expansion mismatch between diamond and metals used in vacuum applications.  Low energy x-ray applications, for example, would benefit from a technique which forms a vacuum-tight seal at lower temperatures allowing thinner, larger diamond windows.

Compression Bonding is such a process.  Using thick gold layers, lower temperatures and sustained pressure, vacuum-tight bonds between diamond and a variety of metals can be achieved.  In some cases even a hard solder at even lower temperatures will provide the required performance.  Vacuum-compatible epoxies offer an often overlooked solution in the least severe environments.  The optimal choice is frequently a compromise between these methods and materials.

Contact us with your questions about bonding diamond to other materials.  The solution lies among the variety of processes we have available.