Analysis of the Economics of DC Arc CVD Diamond

摘要

From the research conducted to data, it appears that the cost today to produce1,00 six inch wafers, 1 mm thick, by the DC arc deposition technology is $4,072/wafer. Of the six operations included in this analysis (substrate preparation, deposition, etching, polishing, metallizing, and inspection), the deposition step contributes the bulk of the cost (85%). The total cost of a finished substrate is dominated by the cost of equipment (30.6%) and materials (25%). High equipment costs are attributable to the low deposition rate, and to the high capital investment for deposition equipment. High material costs are attributed to the lack of gas recycling and to the use of expensive high purity gases.