Growth Characteristics of Micro Carbon Structures Fabricated by Laser-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

Growth characteristics of micro carbon structures fabricated by laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition are studied. Argon ion laser and ethylene were used as the energy source and reaction gas, respectively, to grow micro carbon rod through pyrolytic decomposition of the reaction gas. Experiments were performed at various conditions to investigate the influence of process parameters on growth characteristics such as the diameter or growth rate of the micro carbon rod with respect to reaction gas pressure and incident laser power. Reaction gas pressure in experiments ranges from 200 to 600Torr and the incident laser power from 0.3 to 3.8W. For these conditions, the diameter of the rod increases linearly with respect to the laser power but is almost independent of the reaction gas pressure. Growth rate of the rod changes little with gas pressure when the laser power remains below IW. For a constant reaction gas pressure, the growth rate increase with Increasing laser power, but the rate of increase decreases gradually, implying that the chemical vapor deposition condition changes from a kinetically-limited regime to a mass-transport-limited regime. When the carbon rod was grown at near threshold laser power, a very smooth surface is obtained on the rod. By continuously moving the focusing lens in the direction of growth, a micro carbon rod with a diameter of 287 and aspect ratio of 100 was fabricated..