UC Santa Cruz Scientists Develop Diamond Sensors to Monitor Fusion Energy Breakthrough
- MM24 News Desk
- 55 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz are pioneering a radical monitoring system for future fusion power plants using artificial diamond-based sensors. The project, led by SCIPP faculty member Bruce Schumm, the Long Family Professor of Experimental Physics, has received $555,000 as part of an $8 million university-wide initiative to establish California's leadership in the race for clean, limitless fusion energy.
The core challenge the team is tackling is the incredibly harsh environment inside a fusion reactor. While physicists at the UC-managed Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have repeatedly achieved the milestone of fusion ignition, generating more energy than consumed, monitoring these reactions at a commercial scale requires sensors that can survive extreme radiation levels that would destroy conventional equipment. This is where the unparalleled durability of diamond comes in.
“Advent is one of the few companies in the world that can do the sort of boutique R&D needed to develop diamond sensors as nuclear particle detectors,” said Professor Bruce Schumm.
He explained that the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP) has extensive experience developing silicon sensors for particle colliders, but these low-gain avalanche diodes (LGADs) fail in high-radiation environments. The partnership with small business Advent Diamond to create a diamond substrate is the key innovation.
The project's momentum was initially sparked by a crucial $48,000 in seed funding from the university's Science Division. This early investment was vital for getting the high-risk, high-reward collaboration off the ground.
According to Professor Schumm, this seed money had a "synergistic effect," strengthening their proposal and finally enabling a partnership they had sought for years, which now aligns perfectly with the state's push for a fusion pilot plant by 2030.
The research is part of a larger, coordinated effort across the University of California system. UC Santa Cruz joins a team of experts from UC San Diego, UCLA, and UC Irvine, as well as national laboratories, collectively tackling the "three Ms": model, manufacture, and measure. At UC Santa Cruz, Assistant Research Scientist Simone Mazza will lead the charge to develop the actual "extreme radiation-hardened" detection system.
“Despite significant progress, important questions pertinent to engineering and design challenges remain before fusion energy can successfully transition from the laboratory to a commercially viable power plant,” said Simone Mazza. “To address these challenges, a coordinated effort is warranted between academia, national laboratories, and industry.”
The broader context for this work is a surge of investment and political will behind fusion energy. Following the landmark ignition experiments at Lawrence Livermore, over $10 billion in private investment has flowed into the nascent fusion industry.
The state of California, aiming for 100 percent clean energy by 2045, has positioned itself as a hub, with Governor Gavin Newsom recently signing a bill dedicating $5 million to support fusion commercialization with the goal of a pilot project in the 2040s.