Three dimensional micro-fabricated burners

A soot deposition system, the soot deposition system comprising:

• a. a burner assembly comprising a plurality of burner modules arranged in an ordered array, wherein at least one of the burner modules comprises:
• i. a body, the body comprising one of a sintered metal, a sintered alloy, and a laminated glass ceramic, wherein the sintered metal and sintered alloy are sintered by localized sintering using a focused energy source;
• ii. a plurality of inlets disposed on a base of the body, the plurality of inlets comprising at least one combustion gas inlet, at least one oxidizer inlet, optionally at least one inert gas inlet, and at least one precursor inlet, wherein the at least one combustion gas inlet provides a combustion gas to the burner module, the at least one oxidizer inlet provides an oxidizing gas to the burner module, the at least one inert gas inlet provides an inert gas to the burner module, and the at least one precursor inlet provides a soot precursor to the burner module;
• and
• iii. a plurality of apertures located on a planar face of the body opposite the base, the planar face having a length, wherein each of the plurality of apertures is in fluid communication through a fluid pathway with one of the at least one combustion gas inlet, the at least one oxidizer inlet, the at least one inert gas inlet, and the at least one precursor inlet;
• wherein the burner module delivers the at least one combustion gas, the at least one oxidizer, the at least one soot precursor, and the at least one inert gas through the plurality of apertures to a combustion site in a chemical vapor deposition process to produce a burner flame in a combustion zone proximate to the burner face.
• b. at least one combustion gas source, at least one oxidizer source, at least one inert gas source, and at least one precursor source, wherein the at least one combustion gas source is in fluid communication with each of the plurality of burner modules and provides a combustion gas to the burner module, the at least one oxidizer source is in fluid communication with each of the plurality of burner modules and provides an oxidizing gas to the burner module, the at least one inert gas inlet is in fluid communication with each of the plurality of burner modules and provides an inert gas to the burner module, and the at least one precursor inlet is in fluid communication with each of the plurality of burner modules and provides a soot precursor to the burner module;
• and
• c. a receptor, the receptor having a surface onto which soot created by combustion at the combustion site is deposited.

A method of making a burner module, the burner module comprising a plurality of inlets disposed on a base of the body, and a plurality of apertures located on a planar face of the body opposite the base, wherein each of the plurality of apertures is in fluid communication with one of the plurality of inlets through a fluid pathway, the method comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a plurality of layers of at least one material;
• b. sintering or photo-curing a portion of each of the plurality of layers before adding the next of the plurality of layers to form the body of the burner module;
• and
• c. removing unsintered or unphoto-cured material to form the plurality of inlets, the plurality of apertures, and the fluid pathways of the burner module.

A method of making a soot article, the method comprising the steps of:

• a. providing at least one burner module comprising a body, the body comprising one of a sintered metal, a sintered alloy, a sintered laminated glass ceramic, and a photo-cured polymer;
• b. providing a receptor;
• c. providing a combustion gas, an oxidizing gas, at least one soot precursor and, optionally, optionally at least one inert gas to the at least one burner module, wherein the combustion gas, the oxidizing gas, and at least one soot precursor pass through a plurality of apertures in a planar face of the at least one burner module to a combustion site;
• d. combusting the combusting gas with the oxidizing gas in the presence of the at least one soot precursor at the combusting site to form a soot, wherein that the resulting burner flame is uniform across the length of the planar face of the body;
• and
• e. depositing the soot on the receptor to form the soot article.