In-situ localized carbon nanotube growth inside partially sealed enclosures

Carbon nanotube assemblies can be used for specific applications such as sensors and filters. We present a method and proof-of-concept to directly grow vertically-aligned carbon nanotube structures within sealed enclosures by means of a feedback-controlled laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. The process is compatible with a variety of micro-fabrication processes and bypasses the need for post-process packaging. Our experiments raise interesting observations related to the gas diffusion dynamics in micro-scale and sub-micron enclosures.