Advanced Laser Fabrication Technologies for Cross-Field Applications, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D3: 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 4908

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Medical Robotics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: micro/nano robotics; laser fabrication; multi-field coupling manipulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Interests: 3D waveguide photonic integrated circuit; femtosecond laser processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Interests: ultrafast laser fabrication; micro/nano optics; hard material photonic devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: micro/nanorobots: laser precision manufacturing, actuation, and control
Optical Sciences Centre and ARC Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3122, Australia
Interests: nanofabrication; nanophotonics; micro-optics; 3D laser fabrication (additive and subtractive); ablation; light-matter interaction; solar hydrogen
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of ultra-short pulsed lasers has shown a doubling of average power every two years in this century, which is in line with Moore’s law in microelectronics for the number of transistors on a chip. Photons packed in time (average power) are expected to drive high-throughput industrial applications. This recent trend in laser development at short and longer pulse durations calls for the development of new tools for energy delivery and handling and to better understand light–matter interactions occurring at high power/intensity simultaneously with high beam/sample scanning speeds. It is a good example of fundamental research directly related to industrial applications (fast fabrication throughputs at high resolution).

Laser fabrication technology has been widely used in industry and academia in the past decade, including additive, subtractive, and modification manufacturing. In particular, laser fabrication helps to overcome the limitations of traditional manufacturing and meets the needs of 3D complex geometry fabrication and high-precision fabrication. Recently, many advanced laser fabrication technologies have been proposed to satisfy the stringent requirement for the micro/nano processing of advanced functional materials, making them faster, smaller, and simpler (following the Olympic motto: Citius, Minor, Simplicius [Latin]). In addition, researchers have made great efforts to promote the development of laser fabrication in novel applications.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest developments in advanced laser fabrication technologies and novelty applications such as micro/nano-optics, photonic integrated circuits, micro/nano-robotics, etc., with development towards green energy and bio-medical fields for the strongest societal impact.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Etching (plasma, wet bath) assisted laser fabrication technology;
  2. Laser processing technology with light field modulation (far-field (Gaussian, Bessel), near-field);
  3. Laser-induced micro/nanostructures;
  4. 3D/4D printing based on the laser fabrication technique;
  5. Creation of new materials and composites on interfaces of photo-electrode sensor surfaces by controlled phase transitions;
  6. Materials for green energy applications (solar cell patterning, hydrogen-producing photo-electrodes, batteries, fuel cells).

We seek submissions where the cross-disciplinary use of different fabrication techniques are combined, especially where such combination opens new applications in bio-medical, environmental sensors, green energy, photo-/electro-catalysis, and battery applications.

Dr. Bing Han
Dr. Zhennan Tian
Dr. Xueqing Liu
Dr. Zhuochen Ma
Prof. Dr. Saulius Juodkazis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • laser fabrication
  • micro/nano optics
  • micro/nano robots
  • functional devices

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 10577 KiB  
Article
Application of Python-Based Abaqus Secondary Development in Laser Shock Forming of Aluminum Alloy 6082-T6
by Junru Yang, Tongle Zhang, Chuijiang Kong, Boyu Sun and Ran Zhu
Micromachines 2024, 15(4), 439; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15040439 - 25 Mar 2024
Viewed by 268
Abstract
Aluminum alloy 6082-T6 is an important material for manufacturing the outer skin of high-speed trains, and laser shock forming can realize the rapid forming of complex-shaped plates. In order to improve the efficiency of the simulation modeling of laser shock forming for aluminum [...] Read more.
Aluminum alloy 6082-T6 is an important material for manufacturing the outer skin of high-speed trains, and laser shock forming can realize the rapid forming of complex-shaped plates. In order to improve the efficiency of the simulation modeling of laser shock forming for aluminum alloy 6082-T6, Python scripting language was used for the secondary development of Abaqus. A plugin was utilized to simulate and analyze the laser shock forming process of aluminum alloy 6082-T6. The coordinates of the plate after laser impact molding were measured using a coordinate measuring machine to calculate the arc bow height of the plate. The accuracy of the simulation model was verified by comparing with the simulation results. The deformation characteristics of plastic strain and arc height of aluminum alloy 6082-T6 under different laser process parameters were analyzed. The simulation plugin has a concise interface, high operability, and accurate results with the other parameters unchanged. When the laser energy is 5 J, 6 J, and 7 J, the corresponding arc heights are 5.9 mm, 6.6 mm, and 7.2 mm, respectively. As the thickness of the sheet increases, the deformation changes from concave at 1 mm to convex at 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, and 5 mm. As the spot size increases from 1 mm to 5 mm, the transmission mode of the shock wave gradually changes from spherical wave to planar wave, and the arc height of the sheet increases from 4.6 mm to 8.2 mm. With the increase in the spot overlap rate, the impact area accumulates residual stress, and the arc height of the sheet is 5.7 mm, 6.6 mm, 7.3 mm, and 8.5 mm, respectively. The secondary development of ABAQUS 2021 using Python 3.6 scripting language has improved the efficiency of simulation modeling and provided reference for rapidly predicting the deformation characteristics of aluminum alloy 6082-T6 under different laser process parameters. Full article
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11 pages, 4910 KiB  
Article
Femtosecond Laser-Induced Phase Transformation on Single-Crystal 6H-SiC
by Hongsheng Quan, Ruishi Wang, Weifeng Ma, Zhonghuai Wu, Lirong Qiu, Kemi Xu and Weiqian Zhao
Micromachines 2024, 15(2), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15020242 - 06 Feb 2024
Viewed by 652
Abstract
Silicon carbide (SiC) is widely used in many research fields because of its excellent properties. The femtosecond laser has been proven to be an effective method for achieving high-quality and high-efficiency SiC micromachining. In this article, the ablation mechanism irradiated on different surfaces [...] Read more.
Silicon carbide (SiC) is widely used in many research fields because of its excellent properties. The femtosecond laser has been proven to be an effective method for achieving high-quality and high-efficiency SiC micromachining. In this article, the ablation mechanism irradiated on different surfaces of 6H-SiC by a single pulse under different energies was investigated. The changes in material elements and the geometric spatial distribution of the ablation pit were analyzed using micro-Raman spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectrum (EDS), and an optical microscope, respectively. Moreover, the thresholds for structural transformation and modification zones of 6H-SiC on different surfaces were calculated based on the diameter of the ablation pits created by a femtosecond laser at different single-pulse energies. Experimental results show that the transformation thresholds of the Si surface and the C surface are 5.60 J/cm2 and 6.40 J/cm2, corresponding to the modification thresholds of 2.26 J/cm2 and 2.42 J/cm2, respectively. The Raman and EDS results reveal that there are no phase transformations or material changes on different surfaces of 6H-SiC at low energy, however, decomposition and oxidation occur and then accumulate into dense new phase material under high-energy laser irradiation. We found that the distribution of structural phase transformation is uneven from the center of the spot to the edge. The content of this research reveals the internal evolution mechanism of high-quality laser processing of hard material 6H-SiC. We expect that this research will contribute to the further development of SiC-based MEMS devices. Full article
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13 pages, 45199 KiB  
Article
Tensile Property of 7075 Aluminum Alloy with Strengthening Layer by Laser Remelting-Cladding Treatment
by Qi Sui, Ning Hu, Yingrui Su, Yan Wang and Xiaolei Song
Micromachines 2023, 14(11), 2017; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14112017 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 844
Abstract
The Ni60-SiC-CeO2 strengthening layer with deep remelting pools was constructed on the surface of 7075 aluminum alloy using the laser remelting-cladding processing method, and a soft and hard interphase was prepared on the matrix by the interval of laser remelting, which was [...] Read more.
The Ni60-SiC-CeO2 strengthening layer with deep remelting pools was constructed on the surface of 7075 aluminum alloy using the laser remelting-cladding processing method, and a soft and hard interphase was prepared on the matrix by the interval of laser remelting, which was inspired by soft–hard interphase structure with excellent crack inhibition performance from the natural world. The microstructure and microhardness of the remelting region and the remelting-cladding region of the strengthening layer were studied. The tensile characteristics of two distinct strengthening layers were investigated in the laboratory. The results showed that the grain size of remelting pools is finer, and the microhardness is higher than that of the matrix, which makes crack propagation more difficult. In addition, the results show that the strengthening layer has compact and flawless microstructure and has been metallurgically integrated with the matrix, and the microhardness of the regions treated by laser cladding and laser remelting-cladding has been improved obviously. Toughness has improved, as has the problem of toughness reduction after cladding ceramic particles. The sample’s strength is also significantly greater than that of the untreated sample. Full article
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19 pages, 8660 KiB  
Article
Numerical Simulation and Validation of Laser Polishing of Alumina Ceramic Surface
by Chao Wang, Zhenyu Zhao, Houming Zhou, Junyong Zeng and Zhanwang Zhou
Micromachines 2023, 14(11), 2012; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14112012 - 29 Oct 2023
Viewed by 669
Abstract
Laser polishing is a noncontact and efficient processing method for surface treatment of different materials. It removes surface material and improves its quality by means of a laser beam that acts directly on the surface of the material. The material surface roughness is [...] Read more.
Laser polishing is a noncontact and efficient processing method for surface treatment of different materials. It removes surface material and improves its quality by means of a laser beam that acts directly on the surface of the material. The material surface roughness is a major criterion that evaluates the polishing effect when alumina ceramics are polished by a laser. In this study, the effects of three factors, namely, laser power, scanning speed, and pulse frequency, on the surface roughness were investigated through orthogonal tests. The optimum polishing parameters were obtained through a comparison of the experimental results. Compared to the initial surface roughness (Ra = 1.624 μm), the roughness of the polished surface was reduced to Ra = 0.549 μm. A transient two-dimensional model was established by the COMSOL Multiphysics 5.5, and the flow condition of the material inside the molten pool of laser-polished alumina ceramics and the surface morphology of the smoothing process were investigated by utilizing the optimal polishing parameters obtained from the experiments. The simulation results showed that in the process of laser polishing, the fluid inside the molten pool flowed from the peaks to the valleys under the action of capillary force, and the inside of the molten pool tended to be smoothened gradually. In order to verify the correctness of the numerical model, the surface profile at the same position on the material surface was compared, and the results showed that the maximum error between the numerical simulation and the experimental results was 17.8%. Full article
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19 pages, 3513 KiB  
Article
Polarisation Control in Arrays of Microlenses and Gratings: Performance in Visible–IR Spectral Ranges
by Haoran Mu, Daniel Smith, Tomas Katkus, Darius Gailevičius, Mangirdas Malinauskas, Yoshiaki Nishijima, Paul R. Stoddart, Dong Ruan, Meguya Ryu, Junko Morikawa, Taras Vasiliev, Valeri Lozovski, Daniel Moraru, Soon Hock Ng and Saulius Juodkazis
Micromachines 2023, 14(4), 798; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14040798 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1834
Abstract
Microlens arrays (MLAs) which are increasingly popular micro-optical elements in compact integrated optical systems were fabricated using a femtosecond direct laser write (fs-DLW) technique in the low-shrinkage SZ2080TM photoresist. High-fidelity definition of 3D surfaces on IR transparent CaF2 substrates allowed to [...] Read more.
Microlens arrays (MLAs) which are increasingly popular micro-optical elements in compact integrated optical systems were fabricated using a femtosecond direct laser write (fs-DLW) technique in the low-shrinkage SZ2080TM photoresist. High-fidelity definition of 3D surfaces on IR transparent CaF2 substrates allowed to achieve ∼50% transmittance in the chemical fingerprinting spectral region 2–5 μm wavelengths since MLAs were only ∼10 μm high corresponding to the numerical aperture of 0.3 (the lens height is comparable with the IR wavelength). To combine diffractive and refractive capabilities in miniaturised optical setup, a graphene oxide (GO) grating acting as a linear polariser was also fabricated by fs-DLW by ablation of a 1 μm-thick GO thin film. Such an ultra-thin GO polariser can be integrated with the fabricated MLA to add dispersion control at the focal plane. Pairs of MLAs and GO polarisers were characterised throughout the visible–IR spectral window and numerical modelling was used to simulate their performance. A good match between the experimental results of MLA focusing and simulations was achieved. Full article
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