Microwave plasma CVD diamond platforms and process expertise
Carat Systems develops microwave plasma CVD diamond platforms, diamond materials, and process windows for applications where diamond performance is limited by scale, interface quality, nucleation control, thermal stress, or process reproducibility.
Carat helps turn CVD diamond from a lab material into an application-specific manufacturing process by connecting reactor design, plasma behavior, substrate handling, nucleation, thermal behavior, and metrology-driven development.
Carat Systems combines reactor design, diamond growth processes, substrate-specific nucleation, technical diamond materials, and process metrology.
Company overview
Founded in 1998, Carat Systems is a Boston-area microwave plasma CVD diamond technology company serving customers who need advanced diamond deposition equipment, process development, and technical diamond materials. The company supports universities, national laboratories, semiconductor developers, optics manufacturers, thermal management programs, fusion energy efforts, and diamond producers worldwide.
Carat's work spans 2.45 GHz microwave plasma CVD systems, 915 MHz large-area scale-up platforms, diamond-on-silicon development, polycrystalline and single-crystal diamond growth, optical diamond, UNCD and BEN process capability, technical metrology development, and custom coating programs.
The company is most relevant where the customer needs a diamond process, not just a diamond part: substrate preparation, nucleation, growth, stress control, uniformity, metrology, and eventual transfer to equipment or production.
What differentiates Carat
Reactor heritage
Carat builds on decades of microwave plasma CVD diamond reactor experience, including ASTeX-era commercial diamond system development.
Process depth
Carat supports customers with diamond growth process development, uniformity optimization, nucleation, polishing, thermal behavior, and application-specific coating work.
System and material path
Customers can evaluate equipment, sample coating, diamond material, process metrology, and process transfer as connected parts of one development path.
Application-specific manufacturing path
Carat helps customers connect CVD diamond properties to manufacturable process routes, including substrate selection, nucleation method, plasma scale-up, thermal stress, uniformity, metrology, and the transition from sample coating to equipment or production.
Where Carat fits in emerging CVD diamond opportunities
CVD diamond is moving from a specialty material toward application-specific manufacturing in thermal management, semiconductor packaging, quantum materials, optics, and fusion. The limiting problems are often not only diamond growth, but scale-up, interface quality, nucleation, stress, uniformity, substrate coupling, and process control.
Scale
Large-area microwave plasma CVD development for programs moving from 100 mm toward 150 mm, 200 mm, and 300 mm class diamond growth.
Interface
Diamond-on-silicon and diamond-on-semiconductor process development where adhesion, stress, thermal contact, and substrate compatibility matter.
Nucleation and control
BEN, UNCD, reflectometry, thermal mapping, and Raman-oriented process feedback for cleaner and more reproducible diamond growth.
Core capabilities
- Microwave plasma CVD diamond reactors
- 2.45 GHz research and pilot production systems
- 915 MHz high-power large-area scale-up systems
- Polycrystalline CVD diamond wafers and plates
- Diamond-on-silicon process development
- Thermal spreader development
- UNCD and bias-enhanced nucleation capability
- Custom diamond coating programs
- Thickness mapping, reflectometry, IR thermal mapping, and process metrology development
- Design-basis reviews for CVD diamond scale-up and application feasibility
Mission
Carat's mission is to help customers use CVD diamond where conventional materials fail because of heat, plasma exposure, optical power, radiation, chemical attack, electric-field stress, or extreme durability requirements.
We do this by connecting material requirements to reactor design, process conditions, substrate handling, nucleation method, metrology, and scale-up strategy.
Lab-grown diamond also provides a route to diamond materials without the environmental and supply-chain issues associated with mined diamond.
Technical heritage
Carat Systems benefits from technology, employees, and consultants originally connected to Applied Science and Technology, Inc. ASTeX was among the first companies to commercially offer microwave plasma systems for diamond deposition and played a central role in early commercial CVD diamond reactor development.
Carat has continued that engineering lineage with modernized, modular reactor platforms designed for high-purity growth, flexible process control, serviceability, and production-oriented manufacturing. Carat systems are built with attention to reliability, process range, safety, supplier independence, and upgradeability.
Carat's experience includes competitive programs supported by U.S. government and defense customers, technical diamond development for demanding applications, and commercial diamond reactor manufacturing.
Leadership and technical heritage
Dr. Roy Gat, Founder and CEO
Dr. Roy Gat founded Carat Systems in 1998. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and previously worked as a product manager and research scientist at ASTeX, where he contributed to commercial microwave plasma CVD diamond system development.
Dr. Gat has presented at international diamond and materials conferences and has served as a session chair, symposium organizer, and technical committee member in the diamond materials community.
In recognition of the original MW CVD pioneers
We honor the pioneering scientists and engineers who established microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MW CVD) diamond technology.
Foundational work at the National Institute for Research in Inorganic Materials (NIRIM) demonstrated diamond synthesis in microwave plasma environments (Kamo, Sato, Matsumoto, and Setaka, Journal of Crystal Growth, 1983), establishing the basis for modern plasma-assisted diamond growth systems.
We also recognize the original equipment developers at ASTeX whose engineering work translated laboratory plasma science into reliable industrial systems, including R. Post, D. Smith, and V. Berkman, whose contributions helped define the architecture of commercial microwave plasma CVD platforms.
Customer support and training
Carat supports customers with system training, commissioning, process startup, and technical support. Customers can receive training in operation, maintenance, and baseline diamond growth methods before and during system installation.
For suitable programs, customers may also perform development work at Carat while their system is being manufactured, helping reduce production ramp-up time.
CVD diamond technology
CVD diamond is an enabling material for demanding applications where conventional materials are limited by heat, plasma exposure, optical power, radiation, chemical attack, electric-field stress, or extreme durability requirements.
Carat works with customers to connect material requirements to reactor design, process conditions, substrate handling, nucleation, metrology, and scale-up strategy.
Start with a technical review
For early-stage diamond programs, Carat can help determine whether the right next step is sample coating, process development, metrology review, reactor design, or scale-up planning.
Useful topics include diamond-on-semiconductor, thermal management, BEN/nucleation, 915 MHz large-area growth, fusion coatings, optical diamond, advanced packaging, and custom substrate coating programs.