Vacuum Outgassing Characteristics of Unpigmented 3-D Printed Polymers Coated with ALD Alumina

---

---

---

This page is part of an international project to use RepRap 3-D printing to make OSAT for sustainable development. Learn more. Research: Open source 3-D printing of OSAT • RecycleBot • LCA of home recycling • Green Distributed Recycling • Ethical Filament • LCA of distributed manufacturing • RepRap LCA Energy and CO2 • Solar-powered RepRaps • solar powered recyclebot • Feasibility hub • Mechanical testing • RepRap printing protocol: MOST• Lessons learned • MOST RepRap Build • MOST Prusa Build • MOST HS RepRap build • RepRap Print Server Make me: Want to build a MOST RepRap? - Start here! • Delta Build Overview:MOST • Athena Build Overview • MOST metal 3-D printer • Humanitarian Crisis Response 3-D Printer

---

Source

• Nupur Bihari, Ismo T. S. Heikkinen, Giovanni Marin, Craig Ekstrum, Pierce J. Mayville, Shane Oberloier, Hele Savin, Maarit Karppinen and Joshua M. Pearce. Vacuum Outgassing Characteristics of Unpigmented 3-D Printed Polymers Coated with ALD Alumina. Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces and Films Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films 38, 053204 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0000178 open access Aalto preprint

Abstract

3-D printing offers enormous potential for fabricating custom equipment for space and vacuum systems, but in order to do this at low-costs, polymers are necessary. Historically polymers have not been suited for these applications because of outgassing, but if coated with a conformal, inorganic film introduced with atomic layer deposition (ALD), then outgassing can be reduced. Previous work on coating ALD layers showed promise with heavily outgassing carbon black containing 3-D printed polymers. In this study, ALD aluminum oxide and a commercially available vacuum sealant resin were used to coat clear, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) and polypropylene (PP). Characterization of the films included spectroscopic ellipsometry for thickness, microstructure analysis with scanning electron microscopy, chemical analysis with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and residual gas analysis to study relative change in outgassing. ALD-coated samples registered lower pressures than the resin-coated ones. The results showed that the ALD coatings could effectively inoculate unpigmented 3-D printed plastics, which could be used in contamination-sensitive environments such as semiconductor processing systems and space environments.

Keywords

3-D printing,chemical compatibility, semiconductor wet processing, custom labware,  clean room; vacuum; outgassing; polymer; atomic layer deposition; semiconductor processing

See also

• Chemical Compatibility of Fused Filament Fabrication-based 3-D Printed Components with Solutions Commonly Used in Semiconductor Wet Processing
• Compatibility of 3-D printed devices in cleanroom environments for semiconductor processing
• Mechanical Properties of Components Fabricated with Open-Source 3-D Printers Under Realistic Environmental Conditions
• The Effects of PLA Color on Material Properties of 3-D Printed Components
• Mechanical testing of polymer components made with the RepRap 3-D printer
• Approaches to Open Source 3-D Printable Probe Positioners and Micromanipulators for Probe Stations