Chemical Vapor Deposition Techniques

Conclusions

Chemical vapor deposition is well suited for preparing many advanced products, including single-phase and composite materials, coatings, and films. Significant success in the manufacture of electronic semiconductors, beginning in the early 1970s, accelerated the development of CVD processes for the production of other materials. Hard and wear-resistant materials (TiC, TiN, TiB₂, Al₂O₃, and diamond and diamondlike carbon) have found numerous and growing applications such as coatings for cutting tool inserts, knives, and metallic turbine blades. The high strength and exceptional fracture toughness of fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites fabricated by CVI make them applicable for many high temperature structural applications. Multilayer CVD coatings of SiC/glass or SiC/oxide have proved effective for protecting carbon/carbon composites from high temperature oxidation. Application of PACVD has continued in the electronics industry for the manufacture of semiconductor devices, protective coatings for electronic circuits, and solar cells. Laser-assisted CVD is finding increased utility in component preparation, and, should its technological limitations be overcome, could play a major role in producing radiation damage free, high density, complex integrated circuits and other electronic components.