PRODUCING DIAMOND-ANVIL CELL GASKETS FOR ULTRAHIGH-PRESSURE APPLICATIONS USING AN INEXPENSIVE ELECTRIC-DISCHARGE MACHINE

Small holes are drilled in diamond anvil cell gaskets to contain and p ressurize samples. As high-pressure technology pushes the multimegabar regime, smaller-tipped diamond anvils are being increasingly utilized . Consequently, well-centered holes with diameters smaller than 100 mu m need to be routinely produced in these gaskets made of exceedingly h ard metals. We describe the construction of an inexpensive electric di scharge machine that can drill metals with holes as small as 25 mum in diameter. This method of drilling is easy to use, far less expensive than other commonly used techniques, and has the advantage of being ef fective on extremely difficult to machine metals such as rhenium.