HIP Production of Diamond-SiC Composites and Their Application to High-Pressure Anvils

Abstract

  Using a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technique, we synthesized diamond-SiC composites from diamond and Si powders. At an HIP condition of 1450°C and 100 MPa, a pressure much lower than that of the diamond stability field, diamond powders react with molten Si to form well-sintered diamond-SiC composites. Cubes of the composites were thereby fabricated, and an application to the second stage anvils in the Kawai-type multi-anvil high-pressure apparatus was attempted. Since the diamond-SiC composites are transparent to X rays, the present system is applicable not only to conventional energy dispersive X-ray diffraction studies but also to angle dispersive diffraction and radiographic studies that need a larger window for X-ray images. In this article, our recent advances were reviewed.