Method for making carbon nanotube array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10689258-B2
Application number	US-201815990961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2018
Priority date	Jun 7, 2017
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A method for making a carbon nanotube array includes providing a substrate having a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite to the first substrate surface. The substrate has a plurality of through holes spaced from each other, and each of the plurality of through holes extends from the first substrate surface to the second substrate surface. A catalyst layer is deposited on the first substrate surface, to form a composite structure. The composite structure is placed in a chamber. The carbon source gas and protective gas are supplied to the chamber, and the composite structure is heated to a first temperature, to grow a carbon nanotube array on the first substrate surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for making a carbon nanotube array, the method comprising:
providing a substrate, wherein the substrate defines a plurality of through holes and has a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite to the first substrate surface, and the plurality of through holes is spaced apart from each other and extends from the first substrate surface to the second substrate surface;
depositing a catalyst carrier layer on the first substrate surface, wherein the catalyst carrier layer is an aluminum layer, and a thickness of the aluminum layer ranges from about 3 nanometer to about 7 nanometers;
depositing a catalyst layer on the catalyst carrier layer;
providing a gas diffusing unit in a chamber, wherein the gas diffusing unit is a hollow structure and defines a space, a hole and an outlet;
providing a gas supplying pipe in the chamber, wherein the gas supplying pipe comprises a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end extends out of the chamber, and the second end is in the chamber and connected to the hole;
placing the substrate in the chamber and on the gas diffusing unit to cover the outlet; and
growing a carbon nanotube array on the first substrate surface by supplying a carbon source gas and a protective gas into the space via the gas supplying pipe, and heating the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas diffusing unit comprises a bottom wall and a sidewall, the sidewall defines the hole, and the outlet is opposite to the bottom wall.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the sidewall form a cubic, a circular, or a trapezoid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a shape of the gas diffusing unit is cubic.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising stopping supplying the carbon source gas and supplying an oxygen containing gas into the space via the gas supplying pipe after growing the carbon nanotube array.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein a flow rate of the oxygen containing gas ranges from about 300 sccm to 500 sccm.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure in the chamber is in a range from about 2 torrs to about 8 torrs during growing the carbon nanotube array.

8. A method for making a carbon nanotube array, the method comprising:
providing a substrate, wherein the substrate defines a plurality of through holes and has a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite to the first substrate surface, and the plurality of through holes is spaced apart from each other and extends from the first substrate surface to the second substrate surface;
depositing a catalyst layer on the first substrate surface;
providing a gas diffusing unit in a chamber, wherein the gas diffusing unit is a hollow structure and defines a space, a hole and an outlet;
providing a gas supplying pipe in the chamber, wherein the gas supplying pipe comprises a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end extends out of the chamber, and the second end is in the chamber and connected to the hole;
placing the substrate on the gas diffusing unit to cover the outlet;
growing a carbon nanotube array in the chamber and on the first substrate surface by supplying a carbon source gas and a protective gas into the space via the gas supplying pipe, and heating the substrate; wherein the carbon nanotube array comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes, each of the plurality of carbon nanotubes comprises a bottom end bonded to the first substrate surface;
oxidizing the bottom end by an oxygen containing gas, wherein a flow rate of the oxygen containing gas ranges from about 300 sccm to 500 sccm; and
separating the carbon nanotube array from the substrate.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising depositing a catalyst carrier layer on the first substrate surface before depositing the catalyst layer, and a material of the catalyst carrier layer is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, and magnesium oxide.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the oxidizing the bottom end comprises:
stopping supplying the carbon source gas;
changing a temperature of the carbon nanotube array to a second temperature; and
supplying the oxygen containing gas into the space via the gas supplying pipe.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the temperature is in a range from about 500 degrees Celsius to about 800 degrees Celsius.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein a time for oxidizing the bottom end is in a range from about 5 minutes to about 20 minutes.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein a pressure in the chamber is in a range from about 2 torrs to about 8 torrs during oxidizing the bottom end.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the separating the carbon nanotube array from the substrate further comprises applying a force to one of the carbon nanotube array and the substrate.

15. A method for making a carbon nanotube array, the method comprising:
providing a substrate, wherein the substrate defines a plurality of through holes and has a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite to the first substrate surface, and the plurality of through holes is spaced apart from each other and extends from the first substrate surface to the second substrate surface;
depositing a catalyst layer on the first substrate surface;
providing a gas diffusing unit in a chamber, wherein the gas diffusing unit is a hollow structure and defines a space, a hole and an outlet;
providing a gas supplying pipe in the chamber, wherein the gas supplying pipe comprises a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end extends out of the chamber, and the second end is in the chamber and connected to the hole;
placing the substrate in the chamber, wherein the substrate is suspended on the outlet to cover the outlet; and
growing a carbon nanotube array on the first substrate surface by supplying a carbon source gas and a protective gas into the space via the gas supplying pipe, and heating the substrate.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the substrate is in direct contact with the gas diffusing unit.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein both the first substrate surface and the second substrate surface cover the outlet.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second substrate surface is in direct contact with the gas diffusing unit.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising stopping supplying the carbon source gas and supplying an oxygen containing gas into the space via the gas supplying pipe after growing the carbon nanotube array.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein a flow rate of the oxygen containing gas ranges from about 300 sccm to 500 sccm.

Assignees

• Univ Tsinghua
• Hon Hai Prec Ind Co Ltd

Inventors

• Liu Liang
• Cai Qi
• Zheng Qiu-Qiu

Classifications

• B81C1/00031

  Regular or irregular arrays of nanoscale structures, e.g. etch mask layer (photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces G03F7/00; lithographic processes for making patterned surfaces using printing and stamping G03F7/0002) · CPC title

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title

• C01B2202/20

  Nanotubes characterized by their properties · CPC title

• B82B3/0004

  Apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of nanostructural devices or systems or methods for manufacturing the same · CPC title

• C01B32/162 Primary

  characterised by catalysts · CPC title