Patents by Inventor Neil Perkins

Neil Perkins has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11746436
    Abstract: A coloured single crystal CVD synthetic diamond material comprising: a plurality of layers, wherein the plurality of layers includes at least two sets of layers which differ in terms of their defect composition and colour, wherein defect type, defect concentration, and layer thickness for each of the at least two sets of layers is such that if the coloured single crystal CVD diamond material is fabricated into a round brilliant cut diamond comprising a table and a culet, and having a table to culet depth greater than 1 mm, the round brilliant cut diamond comprises a uniform colour as viewed by naked human eye under standard ambient viewing conditions in at least a direction through the table to the culet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Harpreet Kaur Dhillon, Ian Friel, Daniel James Twitchen, Sarah Louise Geoghegan, Helen Jennifer Gallon, Neil Perkins, Philip Maurice Martineau
  • Patent number: 11384426
    Abstract: A method of coating a non-refractory and/or non-planar substrate (8) with synthetic diamond material using a microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition (CVD) synthesis technique, the method comprising: forming a composite substrate assembly (1) comprising: a support substrate (2) comprising an upper surface; one or more electrically conductive refractory guards (6) disposed over the upper surface of the support substrate and extending to a height hg above the upper surface of the support substrate; and one or more non-refractory and/or non-planar substrates disposed over the upper surface of the support substrate and extending to a height hs above the upper surface of the support substrate, wherein the height hs is less than the height hg, wherein a difference in height hg?hs lies in a range 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Charles Simon James Pickles, Christopher Wort, John Brandon, Neil Perkins
  • Publication number: 20210323874
    Abstract: A method of making a thermally stable polycrystalline super hard construction having a plurality of interbonded super hard grains and interstitial regions disposed therebetween to form a polycrystalline super hard construction having a first thermally stable region and a second region, the first thermally stable region forming at least part of a working surface of the construction, comprises treating the polycrystalline super hard material with a leaching mixture to remove non-super hard phase material from a number of interstitial regions in the first region. The step of treating comprises masking the polycrystalline super hard construction along at least a portion of the peripheral side surface up to and/or at the working surface to inhibit penetration of the leaching mixture into the super hard construction through a peripheral side surface of the super hard construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: Neil Perkins, Changzheng Ji, Nicola Louise Palmer
  • Patent number: 10707062
    Abstract: A microwave generator system for use in a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD) system, the microwave generator system comprising: a microwave generator unit configured to produce microwaves at an operating power output suitable for fabricating synthetic diamond material via a chemical vapour deposition process; a fault detection system configured to detect a fault in the microwave generator unit which results in a reduction in the operating power output or a change in frequency; and a re-start system configured to restart the microwave generator unit in response to a fault being detected and recover the operating power output or frequency in a time period of less than 10 seconds after the fault in the microwave generator unit which caused the reduction in the operating power output or the change in frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: John Robert Brandon, Neil Perkins
  • Publication number: 20200010371
    Abstract: A method of making a thermally stable polycrystalline super hard construction having a plurality of interbonded super hard grains and interstitial regions disposed therebetween to form a polycrystalline super hard construction having a first thermally stable region and a second region, the first thermally stable region forming at least part of a working surface of the construction, comprises treating the polycrystalline super hard material with a leaching mixture to remove non-super hard phase material from a number of interstitial regions in the first region. The step of treating comprises masking the polycrystalline super hard construction along at least a portion of the peripheral side surface up to and/or at the working surface to inhibit penetration of the leaching mixture into the super hard construction through a peripheral side surface of the super hard construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Neil PERKINS, Changzheng JI, Nicola Louise PALMER
  • Publication number: 20180218881
    Abstract: A microwave generator system for use in a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD) system, the microwave generator system comprising: a microwave generator unit configured to produce microwaves at an operating power output suitable for fabricating synthetic diamond material via a chemical vapour deposition process; a fault detection system configured to detect a fault in the microwave generator unit which results in a reduction in the operating power output or a change in frequency; and a re-start system configured to restart the microwave generator unit in response to a fault being detected and recover the operating power output or frequency in a time period of less than 10 seconds after the fault in the microwave generator unit which caused the reduction in the operating power output or the change in frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Applicant: ELEMENT SIX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
    Inventors: JOHN ROBERT BRANDON, NEIL PERKINS
  • Patent number: 9840419
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of making fancy orange synthetic CVD diamond material. Among other things, the method may involve (i) providing a single crystal diamond material that has been grown by CVD and has a [Ns0] concentration less than 5 ppm; (ii) irradiating the provided CVD diamond material so as to introduce isolated vacancies V into at least part of the provided CVD diamond material such that the total concentration of isolated vacancies [VT] in the irradiated diamond material is at least the greater of (a) 0.5 ppm and (b) 50% higher than the [Ns0] concentration in ppm in the provided diamond material; and (iii) annealing the irradiated diamond material to forming vacancy chains from at least some of the introduced isolated vacancies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Daniel James Twitchen, Sarah Louise Geoghegan, Neil Perkins
  • Publication number: 20170183267
    Abstract: A method of making a thermally stable polycrystalline super hard construction having a plurality of interbonded super hard grains and interstitial regions disposed therebetween to form a polycrystalline super hard construction having a first thermally stable region and a second region, the first thermally stable region forming at least part of a working surface of the construction, comprises treating the polycrystalline super hard material with a leaching mixture to remove non-super hard phase material from a number of interstitial regions in the first region. The step of treating comprises masking the polycrystalline super hard construction along at least a portion of the peripheral side surface up to and/or at the working surface to inhibit penetration of the leaching mixture into the super hard construction through a peripheral side surface of the super hard construction. The material preferably is PCD, polycrystalline diamond, and preferably leaching takes place after forming a chamfer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Neil PERKINS, Changzheng JI, Nicola Louise PALMER
  • Patent number: 9210972
    Abstract: A free-standing non-planar polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond component which comprises a nucleation face and a growth face, the nucleation face comprising smaller grains than the growth face, the nucleation face having a surface roughness Ra no more than 50 nm, wherein the free-standing non-planar polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond component has a longest linear dimension when projected onto a plane of no less than 5 mm and is substantially crack free over at least a central region thereof, wherein the central region is at least 70% of a total area of the free-standing non-planar polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond component, wherein the central region has no cracks which intersect both external major faces of the free-standing non-planar polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond component and extend greater than 2 mm in length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Stephanie Liggins, John Robert Brandon, Christopher John Howard Wort, Neil Perkins, Paul Nicholas Inglis, Mark Robin McClymont
  • Publication number: 20150315700
    Abstract: A method of coating a non-refractory and/or non-planar substrate (8) with synthetic diamond material using a microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition (CVD) synthesis technique, the method comprising: forming a composite substrate assembly (1) comprising: a support substrate (2) comprising an upper surface; one or more electrically conductive refractory guards (6) disposed over the upper surface of the support substrate and extending to a height hg above the upper surface of the support substrate; and one or more non-refractory and/or non-planar substrates disposed over the upper surface of the support substrate and extending to a height hs above the upper surface of the support substrate, wherein the height hs is less than the height hg, wherein a difference in height hg?hs lies in a range 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Applicant: ELEMENT SIX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
    Inventors: Charles Simon James Pickles, Christopher Wort, John Brandon, Neil Perkins
  • Publication number: 20150315027
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of making fancy orange synthetic CVD diamond material. Among other things, the method may involve (i) providing a single crystal diamond material that has been grown by CVD and has a [Ns0] concentration less than 5 ppm; (ii) irradiating the provided CVD diamond material so as to introduce isolated vacancies V into at least part of the provided CVD diamond material such that the total concentration of isolated vacancies [VT] in the irradiated diamond material is at least the greater of (a) 0.5 ppm and (b) 50% higher than the [Ns0] concentration in ppm in the provided diamond material; and (iii) annealing the irradiated diamond material to forming vacancy chains from at least some of the introduced isolated vacancies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Inventors: Daniel James TWITCHEN, Sarah Louise GEOGHEGAN, Neil PERKINS
  • Publication number: 20150240382
    Abstract: A coloured single crystal CVD synthetic diamond material comprising: a plurality of layers, wherein the plurality of layers includes at least two sets of layers which differ in terms of their defect composition and colour, wherein defect type, defect concentration, and layer thickness for each of the at least two sets of layers is such that if the coloured single crystal CVD diamond material is fabricated into a round brilliant cut diamond comprising a table and a culet, and having a table to culet depth greater than 1 mm, the round brilliant cut diamond comprises a uniform colour as viewed by naked human eye under standard ambient viewing conditions in at least a direction through the table to the culet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: Harpreet Kaur Dhillon, Ian Friel, Daniel James Twitchen, Sarah Louise Geoghegan, Helen Jennifer Gallon, Neil Perkins, Philip Maurice Martineau
  • Patent number: 9068257
    Abstract: A method of making fancy orange synthetic CVD diamond material is described. The method comprises irradiating a single crystal diamond material that has been grown by CVD to introduce isolated vacancies into at least part of the CVD diamond material and then annealing the irradiated diamond material to form vacancy chains from at least some of the introduced isolated vacancies. Fancy orange CVD diamond material is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Daniel James Twitchen, Sarah Louise Geoghegan, Neil Perkins
  • Patent number: 9017632
    Abstract: A method of making fancy pale blue or fancy pale blue/green CVD diamond material is described. The method comprises irradiating single crystal diamond material that has been grown by a CVD process with electrons to introduce isolated vacancies into the diamond material, the irradiated diamond material having (or after a further post-irradiation treatment having) a total vacancy concentration [VT] and a path length L such that [VT]×L is at least 0.072 ppm cm and at most 0.36 ppm cm, and the diamond material becomes fancy pale blue or fancy pale blue/green in color. Fancy pale blue diamonds are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Daniel James Twitchen, Sarah Louise Geoghegan, Neil Perkins
  • Publication number: 20150110987
    Abstract: A free-standing non-planar polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond component which comprises a nucleation face and a growth face, the nucleation face comprising smaller grains than the growth face, the nucleation face having a surface roughness Ra no more than 50 nm, wherein the free-standing non-planar polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond component has a longest linear dimension when projected onto a plane of no less than 5 mm and is substantially crack free over at least a central region thereof, wherein the central region is at least 70% of a total area of the free-standing non-planar polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond component, wherein the central region has no cracks which intersect both external major faces of the free-standing non-planar polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond component and extend greater than 2 mm in length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Applicant: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Stephanie Liggins, John Robert Brandon, Christopher John Howard Wort, Neil Perkins, Paul Nicholas Inglis, Mark Robin McClymont
  • Patent number: 8986646
    Abstract: A method of introducing NV centers in single crystal CVD diamond material is described. One step of the method comprises irradiating diamond material that contains single substitutional nitrogen to introduce isolated vacancies into the diamond material in a concentration of at least 0.05 ppm and at most 1 ppm. Another step of the method comprises annealing the irradiated diamond to form NV centers from at least some of the single substitutional nitrogen defects and the introduced isolated vacancies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Daniel James Twitchen, Sarah Louise Geoghegan, Neil Perkins, Rizwan Uddin Ahmad Khan
  • Patent number: 8955853
    Abstract: An apparatus is described capable of use on smooth and rough terrains at both low and high speeds. The trailer apparatus has an auto leveling feature combined with uniform loading support that reduces torsional loading of the cargo. The invention also includes a trailer capable of travel at high speeds, which hydraulically equalizes distribution of the weight of the cargo. The invention further includes an easy lift tow bar, all axle steering, single tire axles, self-leveling and adjustable suspension, combination of air, anti-lock and electronic braking system, and ability to travel at high speed speeds with reduced system sway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Perkins Motor Transport, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil Perkins, John Ehr
  • Patent number: 8944892
    Abstract: A method of dressing a wheel using a polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser, the method comprising: rotating the wheel; and contacting a working surface of the wheel with a working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser, wherein the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser is oriented such that a leading edge of the working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser is formed of larger grains than a trailing edge of the working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Neil Perkins
  • Patent number: 8890091
    Abstract: A method comprising: selecting a diamond material; irradiating the diamond material to increase toughness and/or wear resistance of the diamond material; and processing the diamond material into one or more diamond tool pieces, wherein the diamond material is selected from the group consisting of: a HPHT diamond material having a total equivalent isolated nitrogen concentration in the range 1 to 600 ppm; a CVD diamond material having a total equivalent isolated nitrogen concentration in the range 0.005 to 100 ppm; and a natural diamond material having a total nitrogen concentration in the range 1 to 2000 ppm, wherein the irradiating comprises controlling energy and dosage of irradiation to provide the diamond material with a plurality of isolated vacancy point defects, the isolated vacancy point defects having a concentration in a range 1×1014 to 1×1021 vacancies/cm?1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Element Six Limited
    Inventors: Daniel James Twitchen, Sarah Louise Geoghegan, Neil Perkins
  • Publication number: 20140335766
    Abstract: A method of dressing a wheel using a polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser, the method comprising: rotating the wheel; and contacting a working surface of the wheel with a working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser, wherein the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser is oriented such that a leading edge of the working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser is formed of larger grains than a trailing edge of the working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventor: Neil Perkins