Air and O2-Assisted Catalytic VACNT Growth Optimization for Uniformity and Throughput

The development of an optimized air or O2-assisted multi-wall vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT) process that adjusts the vertical height profile of a standard H2O vapor-assisted VACNT process is reported. The effect of the air or O2 chemical vapor deposition (CVD) precursor flow rate, the catalytic Fe layer thickness, the process growth temperature, and the H2/C2H4 ratio on VACNT length was first investigated to find the optimum growth conditions. Spatial distribution height mapping of VACNT structures on six patterned 4′′ catalyst Si wafers prepared with a 70–90 min long O2-assisted growth step shows an average growth height of 1.8–2.2 mm, with a standard deviation of less than 10%. Characterization techniques included Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and spatial height mapping analysis for a range of Fluid channel Array Brick (FAB) components with a length of 30 mm, a width range of 2.5–15 mm, a fluid channel diameter range of d = 5–100 mm, and a fluid channel closest gap range of g = 5–50 mm. A significant finding is that the O2-assisted VACNT growth process optimization efforts enable 2 mm parts processing with square edges, flat top surfaces, uniform height tolerances, and maximum catalyst wafer utilization for application in engineering devices.