Abstract

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a chemical process that transforms vapor-phase molecules, called precursors, into solid materials, such as thin films on substrates and powders. This process is carried out inside a flow reactor. By supplying either thermal, photo- or plasma energy to the reactor, the precursors are activated and decomposed to deposit the solids. The process is widely used to produce thin films for semiconductor devices and protective coatings on precision machine parts. It is also capable of producing fine powders, nanotubes, nanorods, and nanowires of many different materials.