A method of making a multi-composition fiber is provided, which includes providing a precursor laden environment, and forming a fiber in the precursor laden environment using laser heating. The precursor laden environment includes a primary precursor material and an elemental precursor material. The formed fiber includes a primary fiber material and an elemental additive material, where the elemental additive material has too large an atom size to fit within a single crystalline domain within a crystalline structure of the fiber, and is deposited on grain boundaries between adjacent crystalline domains of the primary fiber material to present an energy barrier to atomic diffusion through the grain boundaries, and to increase creep resistance by slowing down growth between the adjacent crystalline domains of the primary fiber material.

A system for additive chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and (CVD) methods for producing free-standing 3D metal deposits with a controlled crystal size, the method comprising a) supplying a CVD mixture containing at least one CVD precursor into a deposition chamber having a rotatable mandrel with a deposition surface or a deposition table with a deposition surface; b) generating a radiation pattern in at least two programmable radiation modules, each programmable radiation module containing an array of individually addressable radiation transmitting and/or radiation emitting elements; and c) irradiating the deposition surface with a first radiation pattern from a first radiation module and a second radiation pattern from a second radiation module, wherein the first radiation module irradiates the deposition surface in a first direction and the second radiation module irradiates the deposition surface in a second direction, and depositing a material from the CVD mixture on the deposition surface.

A method for manufacturing diamond substrate of using source gas containing hydrocarbon gas and hydrogen gas to form diamond crystal on an underlying substrate by CVD method, to form a diamond crystal layer having nitrogen-vacancy centers in at least part of the diamond crystal, nitrogen or nitride gas is mixed in the source gas, wherein the source gas is: 0.005 volume % or more and 6.000 volume % or less of the hydrocarbon gas; 93.500 volume % or more and less than 99.995 volume % of the hydrogen gas; and 5.0×10.sup.−5 volume % or more and 5.0×10.sup.−1 volume % or less of the nitrogen gas or the nitride gas, and the diamond crystal layer having the nitrogen-vacancy centers is formed. A method for manufacturing a diamond substrate to form an underlying substrate, a diamond crystal having a dense nitrogen-vacancy centers (NVCs) with an orientation of NV axis by performing the CVD.

A method for making a carbon nanotube array includes placing a gas diffusing unit defining an outlet in a chamber including a first inlet and a second inlet. A gas transporting pipe haves a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the second end is connected to the gas diffusing unit, and the first end passes through the second inlet and extends out of the chamber. A growth substrate defining a through hole covers the outlet. A carbon source gas and a protective gas is supplied to the chamber from the first inlet, to grow a carbon nanotube array including multiple carbon nanotubes. Each carbon nanotube has a bottom end. Then the carbon source gas is stopped supplying, and an oxygen containing gas is supplied to the gas transporting pipe, to oxidize the bottom end.

In a method, a charged metal dot is deposited on a first position of a surface of a semiconductor substrate. Then, a charged region is formed on a second position of the surface of the semiconductor substrate, thereby establishing of which an electric field direction from the first position toward the second position. The first position is spaced apart from the second position by a distance. Thereafter, a precursor gas flows along the electric field direction on the semiconductor substrate, thereby forming a carbon nanotube (CNT) on the semiconductor substrate.

The disclosed methods and apparatus improve the fabrication of solid fibers and microstructures. In many embodiments, the fabrication is from gaseous, solid, semi-solid, liquid, critical, and supercritical mixtures using one or more low molar mass precursor(s), in combination with one or more high molar mass precursor(s). The methods and systems generally employ the thermal diffusion/Soret effect to concentrate the low molar mass precursor at a reaction zone, where the presence of the high molar mass precursor contributes to this concentration, and may also contribute to the reaction and insulate the reaction zone, thereby achieving higher fiber growth rates and/or reduced energy/heat expenditures together with reduced homogeneous nucleation. In some embodiments, the invention also relates to the permanent or semi-permanent recording and/or reading of information on or within fabricated fibers and microstructures. In some embodiments, the invention also relates to the fabrication of certain functionally-shaped fibers and microstructures. In some embodiments, the invention may also utilize laser beam profiling to enhance fiber and microstructure fabrication.

A composite tape and method of fabrication are provided which includes multiple layers and a laser-driven chemical vapor deposition (LCVD)-formed additive material in at least one layer of the multiple layers to enhance one or more properties of the composite tape. The LCVD-formed additive material is a single crystalline material and can include LCVD-formed granular material and/or LCVD-formed fiber material in the same or different layers of the composite tape to enhance, for instance, fracture strength and/or wear resistance of the composite tape.

Filled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and methods of synthesizing the same are provided. An in situ chemical vapor deposition technique can be used to synthesize CNTs filled with metal sulfide nanowires. The CNTs can be completely and continuously filled with the metal sulfide fillers up to several micrometers in length. The filled CNTs can be easily collected from the substrates used for synthesis using a simple ultrasonication method.

A method of forming vertical graphene nanostripes comprising one or several monolayers and characterized by a thickness normal to the one or several monolayers, a length orthogonal to the thickness, and a width orthogonal to the thickness includes providing a substrate, subjecting the substrate to a reduced pressure environment in a processing chamber, and providing methane gas and C.sub.6-containing precursor. The method also includes flowing the methane gas and the C.sub.6-containing precursor into the processing chamber, establishing a partial pressure ratio of the C.sub.6-containing precursor to methane gas in the processing chamber, and generating a plasma. The method further includes exposing at least a portion of the substrate to the methane gas, the C.sub.6-containing precursor, and the plasma and growing the vertical graphene nanostripes coupled to the at least a portion of the substrate, wherein the thickness of the vertical graphene nanostripes extends parallel to the substrate.

A multi-composition fiber is provided including a primary fiber material and an elemental additive material deposited on grain boundaries between adjacent crystalline domains of the primary fiber material. A method of making a multi-composition fiber is also provided, which includes providing a precursor laden environment, and promoting fiber growth using laser heating. The precursor laden environment includes a primary precursor material and an elemental precursor material.