The Next Phase for Technology-Grade Grown Diamonds: Joint Ventures that Shorten the Path from Lab to Market
Across aerospace, defense, high-power electronics, laser systems, microwave tech, medical devices, optics, photonics, quantum, and semiconductors, a quiet but powerful shift is underway: prime growers of technology-grade grown diamonds (TGGD) are no longer just materials suppliers—they’re becoming co-developers. By taking minority stakes, forming joint ventures, and building programmatic partnerships with specific tech product developers, growers are collapsing the distance between crystal growth and end-use products. The result is a tighter, faster, and more resilient supply chain with clearer technical roadmaps, shared IP, and better margins for everyone involved.
Why this consolidation matters now:
When growers and product developers move from transactional purchasing to shared development, three things accelerate at once:
Time-to-market: Co-development aligns growth recipes, wafer formats, doping profiles, and defect budgets to the target device, cutting iteration cycles dramatically.
R&D velocity: Shared testbeds and roadmaps let teams validate new device architectures (from power diodes to NV-based sensors) on production-intent material, not lab one-offs.
Risk and returns: Developers de-risk materials availability and performance variability; growers participate in downstream value creation through premium pricing and equity/IP.
This is precisely what our ecosystem needs as demand rises for diamond’s unique combination of ultra-wide bandgap, record thermal conductivity, high breakdown field, optical transparency, and quantum-active color centers—properties underpinning next-gen sensors, power electronics, photonics, and quantum networks. (For a current snapshot of diamond’s momentum in power and quantum, see recent industry and academic overviews.) Source: (Aerospace Manufacturing and Design)
What this means for prime TGGD growers
If you grow TGGD, this is your next growth curve:
– Move up the stack. Don’t just sell wafers, plates, or films—co-define device targets with named partners.
– Structure the relationship. Consider JV or JV-like models with:
– Clear performance milestones (thermal budget, breakdown field, coherence times, optical loss).
– IP-sharing frameworks (foreground IP, cross-licensing, field-of-use splits).
– NRE co-funding tied to pilot-line runs and qualification gates.
– Multi-year material offtake with volume/price bands for yield-improvement sharing.
– Design for manufacturability. Cross from “hero parts” to scaled revenue. (IonQ)
Target near-term wins by industry:
– Aerospace & Defense: rugged, room-temperature quantum magnetometers and inertial sensors; high-power RF and microwave components with superior thermal handling. (IOT World Today)
– High-Power Electronics: diamond diodes/transistors for power conversion and thermal management in EVs, avionics, and grid. (semiconductor-today.com)
– Laser & Microwave Systems: diamond heat spreaders/windows for high-duty lasers and high-frequency RF payloads. (Aerospace Manufacturing and Design)
– Medical Devices: NV-based magnetometry for biomagnetism and portable diagnostics. (optics.org)
– Optics/Photonics & Quantum: color-center photonics, interconnects, and quantum memories. (optics.org)
– Semiconductors: diamond films bonded onto mainstream substrates to enable hybrid chips. (IonQ)
How LGDinTECH helps you build the right JV
LGDinTECH exists to make these relationships happen faster and smarter:
Targeted matchmaking: We curate 1:1 introductions between prime growers and vetted product developers in your specific field-of-use.
Deal templates & IP frameworks: Access practical JV/MOU templates and IP-sharing models tuned for diamond materials co-development.
Pilot-line acceleration: Connect with labs, foundries, and systems integrators to qualify materials on production-intent process flows.
Visibility & trust: Feature your capabilities and roadmaps across our site, newsletters, video interviews, and conference programming to attract serious counterparties.
If you are a prime TGGD grower—or a tech developer ready to lock in a strategic materials partner—now is the time to explore a JV and compress the diamond value chain, allowing breakthroughs to reach the field sooner and scale more reliably.
Let’s build your JV pipeline. Contact LGDinTECH to scope targets, partners, and a 90-day co-development plan.
– Marty Hurwitz, Co-Founder LGD in TECH
