Kenny Wang

10/19/16

Period 4B

The Materialism of Science: The Effect of Advancements in Material Science Impact other

Engineering Fields

Research Question

How does the implementation of specialized material coatings and depositions affect the

machinery and instrumentation industry?

Hypothesis

Although many special steps must be taken to produce them, thin film depositions and coatings

on conventional materials through use of chemical vapor deposition can increase the durability

and cost-efficiency of parts and let materials take on many unique and complex properties that

can allow for advances in mechanical engineering.

Background

A process called chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to convert solids into a gaseous state

of matter through various techniques that expose substances to intense heat in vacuums and low

pressure chambers. These substances are turned into less dense versions of themselves, which

allows for very thin layers of just a few nanometers to deposit and coat a chosen substrate.

Different materials and different substrates are used to modify certain thermal, optical,

mechanical, engineering, and other physical and chemical properties to fit specific applications

and uses. Many different processes are used for CVD and they all use different methods for

depositing particles. For example, materials can be vaporized using pulsed lasers, hot filaments,

and low pressure vacuum thermal evaporation systems.

Rationale

Modern machinery and technology has seen unparalleled growth in the past few decades, and

much of it can be attributed to the ease at which energy can be harnessed and consumed with

newer technology. As a result, processes such as CVD are possible due to the capability to

produce temperatures of thousands degrees Celsius. However, as the usage of power begins to

become limited by the accessibility of materials that can withstand great power and energy,

cheap, durable materials and substances grow more and more in demand. One potential answer

to this is the implementation of thin film deposits and coatings using CVD. This field is already

applied very frequently, but often goes unnoticed, being implemented in eyeglasses, electronics,

tools, and composite materials. Implementing these coatings on greater scales and larger

materials could lead to breakthroughs in technology.

Basis of Hypothesis

A lot of the research that I have already done and many of the observations that I have made at

my internship show that there are a lot of applications for coatings and depositions in objects we

use every day. Deposition has become a relatively common part of manufacturing, but generally

only takes place with smaller objects and very thin layers. It seems that there is still a lot of

anticipation for future uses of coatings and depositions, so further research would likely lead to

technological progress in a multitude of fields that we might not even consider currently.

Operational Definitions

Chemical vapor deposition: a chemical process used to modify solids with special

coatings to add or alter physical and chemical properties

 Advances in mechanical engineering: refers to lesser-considered applications of chemical

deposition on mechanical engineering; newer ideas involving mechanical engineering

and material science that are still in the progress of being researched

Machinery and instrumentation industry: refers particularly to industries involving many

applications of mechanical and electrical systems working in conjunction to act as a

larger system

Descriptors

Applications of chemical vapor deposition

Applications of thin-film coatings (in engineering)

Effects of different kinds of thin-film coatings

CVD in machinery industry

CVD in electrical engineering