Chemical vapor deposition machine.
CVD is frequently used to produce conformal coatings and modify substrate surfaces in ways that other surface modification techniques cannot. CVD is particularly useful for producing incredibly thin layers of material in the atomic layer deposition technique. There are numerous applications for such films. Wear resistance is conferred by some carbides and nitrides. CVD polymerization, possibly the most diverse of all applications, produces ultra-thin coatings with a variety of desirable properties, including lubricity, hydrophobicity, and weather resistance, to mention a few. Metal-organic frameworks, a type of crystalline nanoporous material, have recently been shown to be CVD-able. Membrane coatings, such as those used in desalination or water treatment, benefit from CVD processes because they may be homogeneous and thin enough to avoid clogging membrane pores.
Example of microdevices
One of the products I see in the cleanroom is a microfluidic chip. A microfluidic chip is a device that can process or view a little amount of liquid. The chip is typically clear, with a length or width of 1 cm (0.5′′) to 10 cm (4′′). Chip thickness varies between 0.5 mm (1/64′′) to 5 mm (1/4′′). Internally, microfluidic chips include hair-thin microchannels that are connected to the outside via inlet/outlet ports on the chip. Thermoplastics including acrylic, glass, silicon, and PDMS, a transparent silicone rubber, are used to make microfluidic chips. Microfluidic chips are often made by etching narrow grooves or small wells on a layer's surface, then surrounding those features with a second layer to make microchannels or chambers. The layers must be correctly bonded in order for the channels to be leak-proof. Soft lithography, hot embossing, injection molding, micro-machining, or etching are used to create the channels, depending on the material. Although 3D printing can be utilized to make microfluidic chips, it has significant restrictions in terms of minimum feature size, surface roughness, optical transparency, and material choice. Microfluidics is used in almost every experimental science and engineering field. Research in molecular and cell biology, genetics, fluid dynamics, micro-mixing, Point of Care Diagnostics, Lab on a Chip, Tissue engineering, Organ on a Chip, drug delivery device, fertility testing and aid, and chemical or protein synthesis are just a few examples.
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