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Abstract

Energy, such as from one or more lasers, is directed at the surface of a substrate to mobilize and vaporize a constituent element (e.g., carbide) within the substrate (e.g., steel). The vaporized constituent element is reacted by the energy to alter its physical structure (e.g., from carbon to diamond) to that of a composite material which is diffused back into the substrate as a composite material. The method of the present invention includes the additional steps of using the energy to move a carbon constituent element in a sub-surface zone of the substrate towards the surface of the substrate, vaporizing selected amounts of the carbon constituent element to produce a vaporized carbon constituent element, reacting the vaporized carbon constituent element to modify its physical structure and properties, reacting the vaporized carbon constituent element to modify its physical structure and properties, and fabricating the diamond coating from the reacted vaporized carbon constituent element.

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First Claim