A New Method of Laser Shock Peening

By Yujie Xu, WenWu Zhang, Zhenying Du and Liang Ruan Laser shock peening (LSP) is a surface strengthening technology. Compared with traditional surface treatment technologies (i.e., shot peening), it has many advantages such as non-contact, no heat-affected zone, good controllability and significant strengthening effect. The mechanism of LSP is shown in Figure 1. In this […]

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New Laser-Assisted Doping Process Extends Functionality of Ultra-Thin TMDCs

By Debbie Sniderman A new class of semiconducting materials, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), have exceptional optoelectronic characteristics and can be made ultra-thin. When reduced to a few or mono-layers, they have the potential to meet the small size, high mechanical stability and low power requirements, and be integrated into flexible electronics and used as […]

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Tailoring Bessel Beams to Form High Aspect Ratio Vias in Silicon

By Debbie Sniderman Fabricating through-silicon vias (TSVs) is a key processing technology for 3D silicon IC integration and assembly. These deep holes allow chips to be connected electrically in vertical orientations, completely passing through the entire thickness of silicon wafers, creating 3D ICs for many applications such as image sensors and DRAMS. Dr. Koji Sugioka’s […]

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Laser Micromachining RF Antennas for Contactless Payments

By Debbie Sniderman Contactless methods are next in the evolution of consumer payment options. Physical contact was needed to integrate payment cards with point-of-sale terminals using magnetic stripes or chips. The faster tap-and-go contactless interactions using Radio Frequency (RF) communication and inductive coupling with a card reader are becoming more widespread. They’re more convenient, more […]

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3D Printing of Net Shape Geometries by Laser Metal Deposition

By Carl Hauser  Introduction An additive manufacturing method developed by TWI within the framework of an EU-funded project could drastically reduce component manufacturing times. TWI engineers have been using laser metal deposition (LMD) to produce net shape thin-walled engine casings, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of civil aerospace manufacturing. In LMD, a weld track […]

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