The Diamond Guardian
Ioulia Tsvetkova examines the quality and purity of lab-grown gems used in high-tech industrial applications.
A pioneer in growing diamonds
Ioulia Tsvetkova is a pioneer in growing synthetic diamonds. With a Ph.D. in physics, more specifically in solid-state physics, she started with an ambitious research project in Moscow in 1987. It focused on growing artificial diamonds using two methods: HPHT (High-Pressure, High-Temperature), which recreates the conditions for diamonds’ natural growth by manipulating temperature and pressure; and CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition), a technique that reproduces the components found in diamonds. “The project was kept secret until 1994, and the findings could not be published,” the scientist says. That year, the researcher was invited to Switzerland, to participate in an international project.
A quality expert among LakeDiamond’s team
Interesting and compelling offers continued to present themselves to Ioulia and, 20 years later, Ioulia is still in the country. In 2014, she met Pascal Gallo, co-founder of LakeDiamond. Created in 2015 on the campus of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), LakeDiamond produces high rity lab-grown diamonds and develops high-tech industrial applications in four main fields: micromechanics, photonics, electronics, and biotech. “I was immediately interested in the project,” she says. “I am lucky to be a part of it.”
At LakeDiamond, Ioulia checks the quality and purity of the raw materials used. She uses high-precision measurement devices, some of which are shared by several research groups at EPFL. They include absorption, photoluminescence (or fluorescence) and Raman spectroscopes. This can be used to detect the presence of any impurities in the stones. “Lots of companies are starting to look into man-made diamonds. LakeDiamond sets itself apart in that it focuses on high-quality lab-grown diamonds. The technology is complex and intricate. Only a few competitors have the appropriate expertise.”
Ioulia reads industry journals to stay informed about new products and patents in man-made diamond technology. She maintains close contact with experts in Russia. This is a challenge in this advanced area of expertise, where secrecy remains the norm.
At LakeDiamond, Ioulia has gone back to her first interests, lab-grown diamonds. The properties of diamonds will bring major advances in power electronics, photonics, and biotech. “It’s exciting to work in the different areas of the application at LakeDiamond. We’re making crucial progress that could improve our health and daily lives in the future.”
About Ioulia Tsvetkova
The projects Ioulia has been involved in over her 20 years in Switzerland include the international Ster-bio project, focusing on sterilization methods for food packaging. For that programme, she worked with industry giants such as Nestlé and Tetra Pak. She participated in developing a dry technique, using atmospheric plasma to alter surface properties. That research led to the creation of the company IST SA, where Ioulia worked from 1995 to 2000. Sterilization methods were applied beyond the food industry to be developed for the medical and dental fields.
In 2000, the company was sold in Germany. Ioulia received an appealing offer to work in Munich, but she did not want to change countries again, with her daughter in school in Switzerland. She found a job at Metalor SA, a company based in Neuchâtel specializing in precious metals. Hired as an analyst, she stayed there for eight years. “I developed different types of precious metal alloys, for example, platinum nano-particles, which are used in cancer treatments, and silver powder, used as a conductor to carry electricity in solar cells.” Then came other projects in healthcare, another area that she found fascinating.
Learn more about LakeDiamond:
Stay updated with our latest news, follow us on:
