The origin of DIAMONEX's proprietary ion beam equipment dates back to collaborative efforts between DIAMONEX and several notable Russian institutes and laboratories. The objective was to develop an understanding of high-current gridless ion beam sources used in space propulsion, and to develop a new technology that was well-suited for rigorous manufacturing environments. DIAMONEX developed the CD SOURCE technology in response to its internal manufacturing needs for high rate deposition of electrically insulating diamond-like films. Since 1995, the CD SOURCE technology has been used internally in a range of R&D and manufacturing processes at DIAMONEX.

The CD SOURCE technology was first offered externally to R&D groups in the hard disk drive industry in 1998. By the year 2000, the technology had rapidly evolved into manufacturing environments for thin carbon overcoats on magnetic disks.

Now, the CD SOURCE technology is expanding its utility into a range of applications including substrate cleaning, etching, direct deposition, and Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD).