ALD reactor & glovebox

The project

A custom atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactor and glovebox developed for materials research at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The team worked within an existing hardware layout to create a serviceable enclosure, integrate the reactor, and maintain a controlled environment.

My contribution

My work focused on glovebox design and fabrication, draw-latch positioning, gasket fabrication, and sealing. Reactor machining and thermal modeling were shared team efforts, with those tasks credited to other team members in the final report.

From question to method

• Compared enclosure-opening concepts using a Pugh matrix and selected a removable cover to improve access during assembly and maintenance.
• Positioned adjustable draw latches and developed a laser-cut silicone gasket to accommodate manufacturing and assembly tolerances.
• Integrated the polycarbonate enclosure with the support frame and reactor layout, then used RTV sealing during fabrication.
• The team evaluated reactor vacuum integrity with helium leak detection and compared a low-power heating experiment with its thermal model.

Inside the project

Results & perspective

The measured reactor leak rate was 4.7 × 10⁻¹⁰ torr·L/s, below the 1 × 10⁻⁹ torr·L/s requirement. Low-power heating reached approximately 111–113°C. Full operating-temperature and glovebox dewpoint verification remained future work.

What I gained

The initial sealing failure taught me that a design that appears effective in theory can encounter unexpected problems during manufacturing and assembly. Refining the gasket material and latch spacing gave me firsthand experience with the engineering workflow from design and analysis to fabrication, testing, and improvement. I also learned from exchanging ideas with teammates and experienced engineers. Solving these challenges together strengthened my interest in engineering design and manufacturing.