Diamond is the hardest natural material, and working with it usually feels like a sculptor using a jackhammer: rough, with cracks and chips. But electronics demands jeweler-like precision, because diamond conducts heat superbly, withstands high temperatures, and can work in quantum devices.
The new method is like carefully peeling wallpaper off a wall: first, the diamond surface is softened with oxygen plasma, then gentle impacts from krypton ions remove exactly one layer. In a single cycle, a layer just 6.85 angstroms thick is removed — less than a billionth of a meter.
Tests showed that the diamond's atomic structure remains intact: the bonds between carbon atoms are just as strong. That means the method can be used to create tiny components without risking damage to the material.
Such precision opens the door to producing diamond microchips for powerful electronics, lasers, and quantum computers, where every atom counts.
Diamond is not just a gemstone; it's also the best natural heat conductor: it conducts heat five times faster than copper, which is why it's used to cool powerful lasers.