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.