Georgia Tech researchers develop technique for rapid, nanoscale AM

This cross-section view shows molecular density of the supersonic gas jet as it expands in vacuum and impinges onto a substrate, leading to accelerated material deposition from an energized adsorbed precursor. Photo by Matthew R. Henry.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have been exploring nanoscale additive manufacturing, energizing precursor molecules using a tiny, high-energy supersonic jet of inert gas to dramatically accelerate the fabrication of nanometer-scale structures. This rapid AM technique also allows the production of structures with high aspect ratios.

Based on focused electron beam deposition, the technique allows structures to be fabricated from gas-phase precursors at rates approaching what could be expected in the liquid phase—all without raising the temperature of substrates. The work grew out of frustration with trying to create small structures using the electron beams, which can be just a few nanometers in diameter.

“We are controlling matter on the atomic scale to bring about new modes of additive manufacturing,” said Andrei Fedorov, a professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “This new science could bring about additive manufacturing applications that might otherwise be impossible. The resulting new technology will open up new dimensions for additive manufacturing at the atomic scale.”