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Abstract

The present invention comprises an article formed for a plurality of diamond-coated fibers preformed into a desired shape. Each of the fibers has first surface regions in contact with immediately adjacent other ones of the fibers, and second surface regions spaced apart from the immediately adjacent other ones of said fibers to define boundaries of inter-fiber voids between the immediately adjacent ones of the fibers. The voids are infiltrated with high thermal conductivity CVD diamond material continuously coating the second surface regions of the fibers and comprising merged growth fronts from the second surface regions of individual immediately adjacent ones of the fibers into the inter-particle voids. The high thermal conductivity CVD diamond material has an average crystallite size greater than about 15 microns, an intensity ratio of diamond-Raman-peak-to-photoluminescence background intensity greater than about 20, a maximum intensity of the diamond Raman peak in counts/sec divided by the intensity of photoluminescence at 1270 cm.sup.-1 greater than about 3, a Raman sp.sup.3 full width half maximum less than about 6 cm.sup.-1 and a diamond-to-graphite Raman ratio greater than about 25. The thermal conductivity of the CVD diamond material is in excess of 17 Wcm.sup.-1 K.sup.-1.

First Claim