“We are Still Just Scratching the Surface”

Liz Chatelain (00:15):

Hello, I’m Liz Chatelain, co-founder of LGD in Tech. And today we have another interview with one of our leading members.

Riddhika Poddar (00:25):

I am Riddhika from URR Manufacturing. So basically URR is mainly developed for lab grown diamonds used in the space of techology only. It could be anything related to quantum semiconductors, thermal management.

Liz Chatelain (00:44):

And where do you manufacture?

Riddhika Poddar (00:46):

We manufacture it in Mumbai in India.

Liz Chatelain (00:50):

How have you found the journey into getting into diamond for tech?

Riddhika Poddar (00:56):

Initially we started lab grown diamonds for gem quality and we have a pretty strong reputation in it. As we deepened our expertise, it came clear to us that some of the core competencies, which is the crystal growth, the purity control, the material engineering is very similar and it can be extended to use in high performance tech applications. We began with smaller wafers and we gradually moved into producing highly pure larger wafers for quantum and electric applications.

Liz Chatelain (01:34):

Where do you think your journey is going to take you?

Riddhika Poddar (01:37):

So we’re trying to focus and channelize our resources into quantum applications, thermal applications, electric grade applications.

Liz Chatelain (01:48):

How have you found it for your business, your employees? How do you develop the technology needed?

Riddhika Poddar (01:54):

Growing a diamond in tech requires a great level of precision and uniformity. You know, every tiny variation can affect the performance. So hence training employees has required a major shift. We’ve had to invest in cross-training gem specialists to understand you know, the lab protocols, the clean rooms, procedures, and the semiconductor standards. So that’s a big change that we’ve got in our organization and in front of us on the business side. The tech market is still evolving and it’s all about educating our clients, building trust and staying agile, you know, enough to be open to any new cases that we come across.

Liz Chatelain (02:44):

Where do you think the opportunities are for diamond in tech?

Riddhika Poddar (02:48):

We’re still scratching the surface. You know, lab grown diamond is likely to become the backbone material for quantum computing and high frequency electronics and sensors. And as the ecosystem matures, I believe we’ll see a broader use of diamond in different areas, you know, and as entrepreneurs and researchers and manufacturers, this is a once in a generational opportunity to help us shape an entirely new material platform. So we’re just proud to be on the forefront of this moment.

Liz Chatelain (03:27):

Do you have a diamond you could show us? A lot of people don’t even understand what a tech diamond could look like.

Riddhika Poddar (03:32):

This is a thermal grade diamond wafer. It’s just a five by five mm diamond wafer, which has a thickness of around 0.5 mm.

Liz Chatelain (03:45):

So how long does it take you to produce that?

Riddhika Poddar (03:48):

Anywhere from around 2 to 28 days, depending on what we’re trying to make.