The institute will receive this grant over a period of five years to carry out research on LGD (file photo).
The grant has been given to IIT Madras a day after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that an IIT would be chosen to conduct research on lab-grown diamonds.
IIT Madras today announced that the institute has been selected for research on Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD). The institute will now get a grant of Rs 242 crore for research. This grant has been given to IIT Madras a day after the Union Finance Minister. Nirmala Sitharaman announced that an IIT would be chosen to conduct research on lab-grown diamonds.
The institute will receive this grant over a period of five years to carry out research on LGD. The research will focus on indigenization of the LGD manufacturing process.
Presenting the Union Budget 2023, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “Laboratory grown diamonds (LGD) is a technology and innovation-driven emerging sector with high employment potential. These eco-friendly diamonds have alternative and chemically similar properties to natural diamonds. To encourage indigenous production of LGD seeds and machines and reduce dependence on imports, research and development grants will be provided to any one of the IITs for five years.
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The research grant will go towards the different departments and research groups of the Institute that are involved in this area. IIT Madras has a rich history of conducting cutting edge and translational research with important applications in industry and society.
The global diamond market demands large and highly pure laboratory-grown diamond crystals for commercial and electronic applications. R&D is needed to conduct systematic studies to optimize the process parameters to develop high pure large volume and scalable diamond crystals, which will help India To become the world leader in lab-grown diamonds.
The core faculty of the Physics, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering departments of IIT Madras also have a good number of core researchers specializing in the various requirements listed above. The upcoming center will also recruit a good amount of additional manpower to conduct research on LGD. Which will be set up at IIT Madras Research Park and IIT Madras Laboratories.
India has no knowledge of High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) technology for growing and treating diamond crystals. The cost involved in importing HPHT machines is very high. Therefore, there is a need to develop indigenously manufactured HPHT equipment and establish process know-how for HPHT diamond growth. On the other hand, CVD reactor manufacturers in India import critical components such as microwave generators, vacuum pumps and sensors. Even good quality diamond seeds are imported.
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