| Laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) has been successfully developed as a technique to synthesize millimeter-scale components directly from the gas phase. Material deposition occurs when heat generated by the interaction of a laser beam with a substrate thermally decomposes the gas precursor. Selective illumination or scanning the laser beam over portions of a substrate forms the single thin layer of material that is the building block of this process. Sequential scanning of the laser in a pre-defined pattern on the substrate and subsequent deposit causes the layers to accumulate forming the three-dimensional shape.; The primary challenge encountered in LCVD shape forming is the synthesis of uniform layers. Three deposition techniques are studied to address this problem. The most successful technique, Active Surface Deposition, is based on the premise that the most uniform deposits are created by measuring the deposition surface topology and actively varying the deposition rate in response to features at the deposition surface. Defects observed in the other techniques were significantly reduced or completely eliminated using Active Surface Deposition. The second technique, Constant Temperature Deposition, maintains deposit uniformity through the use of closed-loop modulation of the laser power to sustain a constant surface temperature during deposition. The technique was successful in depositing high quality graphite tubes >2 mm tall from an acetylene precursor and partially successful in depositing SiC + C composite tubes from tetramethylsilane (TMS). The final technique, Constant Power Deposition, is based on the premise that maintaining a uniform power output throughout deposition would result in the formation of uniform layers. Constant Power Deposition failed to form coherent shapes.; Additionally, LCVD is studied using a combination of analytic and numerical models to gain insight into the deposition process. Thermodynamic modeling is used to predict the phase content for the various deposition conditions observed during deposition. Rod deposition from TMS is examined in terms of a numerical model that incorporates transport phenomena and chemical reactions to simulate steady state deposition. Predictions about deposition rates, phase content and morphological features made by the models compared favorably with experimental results. |
