Diamond Sensors Advance the Future of Fusion Energy

Industry Insights from Next Move Strategy Consulting

As global interest in fusion energy accelerates, UC Santa Cruz scientists are taking a significant step forward with the development of diamond-based sensors capable of operating inside the extreme radiation environments of future fusion reactors. Supported by a multi-campus University of California initiative, this research contributes to the state’s expanding efforts to establish global leadership in commercial fusion-power development.

A New Class of Fusion Diagnostics

The Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics is designing a monitoring system that uses artificial diamonds to detect the nuclear burn products produced during fusion reactions. Diamonds can withstand radiation levels far beyond the limits of conventional silicon-based sensors fusion, which makes them uniquely suited for diagnostics inside reactors where fusion power is generated at commercial scale. SCIPP researchers have a long history of designing particle-detection technologies, particularly silicon sensors known as low-gain avalanche diodes. However, the inability of these silicon sensors to endure extreme-radiation environments prompted a shift toward diamond-based materials.

To pursue this direction, SCIPP formed a partnership with Advent Diamond, a small business capable of manufacturing custom diamond substrates. A seed investment of just over $48,000 from the Science Division played a crucial role in enabling this collaboration at a time when no government agency had been willing to fund such a specialized venture. According to Bruce Schumm, the Long Family Professor of Experimental Physics, Advent’s precise manufacturing capabilities were essential to launching the research effort and strengthening SCIPP’s contribution to the UC fusion-energy initiative.

California’s Strategic Push Toward Fusion Power

UC Santa Cruz will receive $555,000 from an $8 million UC initiative designed to advance fusion research across multiple campuses. These investments reflect growing momentum in fusion-energy science, highlighted by notable achievements at the UC-managed Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where scientists have achieved fusion ignition multiple times since 2022. These accomplishments, combined with increasing private-sector investment and the establishment of federal fusion-energy hubs, have placed fusion power at the forefront of next-generation clean-energy strategies.

California has matched this scientific progress with robust policy support. State Senate Bill 25 backs the development of a fusion-energy ecosystem, including workforce readiness, supply-chain frameworks and deployment pathways. The bill aims for a fusion pilot plant in the state by 2030. The UC Initiative for Fusion Energy awarded two grants of $4 million each to research teams working across disciplines and campuses, including the Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories. These funds, derived from UC’s management of the two labs, fuel collaborative research designed to accelerate the state’s leadership in fusion science.

Collaborative Research to Overcome Fusion Challenges

Although scientific advancements have been substantial, major engineering and diagnostic hurdles must be cleared before fusion becomes a commercially viable energy source. UC Santa Cruz’s team will work alongside experts at UC San Diego, UC Los Angeles, UC Irvine and the national labs to study materials exposed to extreme fusion conditions. Their efforts will also include the development of diagnostics capable of measuring the profile of individual fusion burns and evaluating regulatory and public-perception factors that influence future deployment.

The collaborative effort is led by UC San Diego Professor Farhat Beg and will involve students and advanced manufacturing, measuring and computational tools. The group will pursue a research framework centered on modeling, manufacturing and measuring new materials. At UC Santa Cruz, assistant research scientist Simone Mazza will lead efforts to create an extreme radiation-hardened detection system for plasma monitoring. Mazza emphasized that although progress has been significant, essential engineering questions still need to be addressed before fusion can transition from laboratory experimentation to commercial energy production.

Toward a Zero-Carbon Fusion Future

Fusion energy, powered by hydrogen and producing minimal waste without greenhouse-gas emissions, represents a vital clean-energy opportunity for both California and the nation. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has identified fusion as a breakthrough technology capable of strengthening national competitiveness and meeting growing energy demands. California has aligned its policies with this vision. 

During an event at UC Berkeley in October 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation allocating $5 million to support research and development aimed at commercializing fusion energy and establishing a pilot project by the 2040s. These initiatives support the state’s broader goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2045. Diamond-based diagnostics, such as those emerging from UC Santa Cruz, are poised to play an important role in addressing the radiation challenges inherent in future fusion-energy systems.

Next Move Strategy Consulting’s View 

According to Next Move Strategy Consulting, the development of diamond-based sensors for fusion monitoring illuminates a strategically important segment of the diamond market focused on advanced synthetic materials. Although the broader diamond sector includes many well-established applications, the UC Santa Cruz initiative demonstrates how artificial diamonds are becoming essential components in emerging energy technologies. The radiation-resistant properties of diamond make it uniquely suited for the extreme conditions expected inside fusion reactors, creating new opportunities for organizations specializing in custom diamond substrates.

The collaboration between SCIPP and Advent Diamond underscores the importance of specialized research partnerships in this sector. Companies capable of manufacturing diamonds tailored for high-intensity environments may gain increasing relevance as fusion technology advances. The progress reported across California’s fusion-energy landscape suggests that demand for such materials could expand as pilot plants move closer to reality. Although diamond-based fusion sensors are still in the research phase, their advantages over silicon indicate strong long-term potential. As fusion-energy development continues, artificial diamonds may shift from experimental use to a standard element of reactor diagnostic systems, creating a distinct growth pathway within the broader diamond market.

Source: news.ucsc.edu

Prepared by: Next Move Strategy Consulting