Federal award (PURCHASE ORDER, fiscal year 2022)
Recipient: ULTRAMET
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2017-09-30 to 2021-05-15
Current total value of award: $70000
Description: EO14042 IN THE CURRENT PHASE II PROJECT, ULTRAMET IS DEVELOPING A FULLY FUNCTIONAL THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) LASER-DIRECTED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (LCVD) SYSTEM WITH THE APPROPRIATE CONTROLS TO ENSURE LAYER-TOLAYER CONSISTENCY AND FINE RESOLUTION IN A 6" CUBIC WRITING VOLUME. THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO PRINT OBJECTS IN DENSE RHENIUM OR TUNGSTEN DIRECTLY FROM A 3D DIGITAL GEOMETRY USING HEXAFLUORIDE (REF6 OR WF6) PRECURSOR GASES. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED PHASE II-X ENHANCEMENT IS TO EXPAND THE 3D-LCVD CAPABILITY TO MOLYBDENUM WHILE ENABLING DEPOSITION FROM LOWER-COST CHLORIDE PRECURSORS. MOLYBDENUM PENTACHLORIDE (MOCL5) IS OVER AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN MOLYBDENUM HEXAFLUORIDE (MOF6), THE ANALOG TO THE RHENIUM AND TUNGSTEN HEXAFLUORIDES USED IN THE PHASE I AND PHASE II EFFORTS. FURTHER, CHLORIDES CAN BE PRODUCED IN SITU IN THE REACTOR BY FLOWING CHLORINE GAS THROUGH A HEATED BED OF METAL PELLETS, FURTHER REDUCING COST AND SIMPLIFYING PRECURSOR SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS. THIS OPTION IS NOT POSSIBLE WITH FLUORINE DUE TO ITS EXTREME REACTIVITY. THE USE OF MOCL5 WILL REQUIRE A HEATED CHAMBER TO EXCEED THE 268 C BOILING POINT TO ENABLE A FULL ATMOSPHERE OF PRESSURE WITHIN THE REACTOR. IN CONTRAST, MOST HEXAFLUORIDES ARE GASES AT OR JUST ABOVE ROOM TEMPERATURE. WHILE THIS HAS SIMPLIFIED SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT TO DATE, DEVELOPMENT OF A HEATED CHAMBER WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CONSUMABLE COSTS AND ELIMINATE CORROSION ATTRIBUTED TO THE CHEMICALLY AGGRESSIVE HYDROGEN FLUORIDE (HF) BYPRODUCT.