Silicon is a key material in advanced technologies due to its thermal stability, appropriate bandgap, and wide applicability for advanced devices. Si microstructures offer enhanced surface area, thus improving performances for energy storage and biosensing applications. However, conventional top-down fabrication methods are complex, costly, and environmentally unfriendly as they rely on cleanroom facilities and toxic chemicals. This study proposed a simplified, eco-friendly bottom-up laser-based process to fabricate silicon microstructures. By controlling laser parameters during the interaction with silicon nanoparticles, diverse Si structures can be fabricated by Si nanoparticle coating and laser irradiation.

Micro-hole perforation on stainless steel is essential for various industrial applications. However, achieving precise hole geometry, high aspect ratio, and excellent surface quality remains challenging with conventional drilling methods. In this study, we employed a single circular path trepanning technique using a femtosecond laser to drill micro-holes in 316L stainless steel with diameters less than 90 µm. Process parameters, including pulse energy, repetition rate, scan speed, and number of scans, were systematically varied. Resulting hole morphology and cross-sectional profiles were characterized using a confocal microscope and a scanning electron microscope. Our findings demonstrated that optimized femtosecond laser drilling could minimize recast layers, sputter deposition, and heat-affected zones, thereby achieving high-quality micro-holes suitable for demanding industrial applications.

Lasers are widely used in precision metrology, defense, and micromachining. The rise of GHz burst processing has increased interest in high-repetition-rate laser sources. Electro-optic (EO) frequency combs are promising due to their excellent controllability and GHz-range tunability. However, the modulation process that generates EO combs produces M-shaped spectra with pronounced side peaks containing high-order chirped components. These can degrade amplification efficiency and limit pulse distribution quality due to incomplete temporal compression. In this study, we implemented a 24-W EO comb-based picosecond laser system and applied programmable spectral shaping with a 0.7-nm Gaussian-filter to suppress spectral side peaks. As a result, temporal energy confinement of compressed pulse was significantly improved from 53.1 to 92.8% while maintaining comparable output power and pulse duration. These findings demonstrate that spectral shaping can effectively enhance the temporal quality of EO comb pulses, supporting their application in high-precision GHz-burst micromachining.

The demand for high-speed processing and big data has accelerated the adoption of three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs), where interposers serve as essential components for chip-to-chip connectivity. However, silicon interposers using the through-silicon via (TSV) technology have structural limitations. As alternatives, glass-based interposers employing the through-glass via (TGV) technology are gaining attention. This study explored the fabrication of via holes in glass substrates using the selective laser etching (SLE) process. A spatial light modulator (SLM) was used to generate donut- shaped bessel beams by inserting an image pattern without relying on phase modulation. The machinability of via holes fabricated with these beams was compared to that of holes formed using phase-modulated beams. Effect of pulse energy on taper angle was also investigated. Hourglass-shaped holes were observed at lower pulse energies. However, taper angles approaching 90° were observed at higher energies, indicating an improved verticality.

The need for large-area cross-sectional analysis with nanometer precision is rapidly growing in various advanced manufacturing sectors. Traditional focused ion beam (FIB) techniques are too slow for milling millimeter-scale volumes. They often introduce ion implantation, redeposition, and curtaining effect, which ultimately prevent effective large-area processing and analysis. To overcome these limitations, we developed a hybrid machining process integrating femtosecond laser micromachining for rapid roughing with FIB milling for precision finishing. Angle of incidence (AOI) control during laser machining was employed to minimize the taper angle of laser-ablated sidewalls, thereby significantly reducing subsequent FIB milling volume. Using a 1030 nm, 350 fs laser, we achieved nearly vertical sidewalls (taper angle: ~2.5° vs. ~28° without AOI control) in silicon. Raman spectroscopy revealed a laser-affected zone extending about 2 μm perpendicular to the sidewall, indicating the need for further FIB milling besides laser-tapered regions to remove laser-induced damage. On multilayer ceramic capacitors and micropillar fabrication, the hybrid laser-FIB method achieved efficient large-area cross sections with preserved microscale details. We present the development of an integrated triple-beam system combining laser, plasma FIB, and SEM, capable of fast volume removal and nanoscale imaging in one equipment. This approach can markedly improve throughput for large-area cross-sectional analysis.

To reduce the use of fossil fuels, the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) using lithium-ion batteries has been increasing in internal combustion engine alternatives. Accordingly, significant efforts have been made to improve the manufacturing process of lithium-ion batteries within electric vehicles. In particular, the cutting process of lithium-ion batteries has been actively discussed as it is closely related to battery performance. Laser-based cutting enables a more precise and sustainable manufacturing process. The laser ablation threshold has been investigated in many studies to achieve high-precision laser processing. While laser parameters and ambient conditions have been examined to determine the laser ablation threshold, studies focusing on the effect of relative humidity remain insufficient. Thus, this study investigated the laser ablation threshold of aluminum foil under varying relative humidity conditions. First, a laser interaction chamber was fabricated to control the relative humidity during experiments. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was then used to observe laser ablation craters and analyze the threshold. The variation of the laser ablation threshold with relative humidity revealed changes in the interaction between the laser and aluminum foil depending on the humidity level.

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) presents a promising route toward next-generation smart textiles by enabling direct patterning of conductive materials onto textiles through a single-step laser writing process. In particular, femtosecond laser-based fabrication offers high-resolution processing without damaging substrates. This review summarizes LIG formation mechanisms, laser manufacturing parameters, physical/chemical characteristics, electrical, thermal, and optical properties of LIG. Furthermore, it categorizes representative applications including biosignal monitoring, energy storage, thermal regulation, optical absorber, and extraterrestrial adaptability, all based on textile-integrated LIG. With its porous morphology, high conductivity, and structural versatility, LIG offers outstanding multifunctionality for smart textile applications. Future research should explore precise functional tuning of LIG through laser parameter optimization, accurate characterization of LIG, and advanced smart textile applications.

Overhang structures are essential geometries in metal additive manufacturing for realizing complex shapes. However, achieving stable, support-free overhang structures requires precise control of process parameters, and securing shape fidelity becomes particularly challenging as overhang length increases due to thermal deformation. To address this challenge, this study proposed a Bayesian optimization framework for efficiently identifying optimal process parameters to fabricate high-difficulty overhang structures. An image-based scoring method was developed to quantitatively evaluate shape defects. Experimental data were collected by fabricating 3, 6, and 9 mm overhang structures with various process parameters. Based on collected data, Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) models were trained. A physics-informed soft penalty term based on energy density was incorporated to construct a surrogate model capable of making physically plausible predictions even in extrapolated regions. Using this model, Bayesian optimization was applied to overhang lengths of 12, 15, and 18 mm, for which no prior experimental data existed. Recommended parameters enabled stable, support-free fabrication of overhang structures. This study demonstrates that reliable optimization of process parameters for complex geometries can be achieved by combining minimal experimental data with physics-informed modeling, highlighting the framework’s potential extension to a wider range of geometries and processes

3D ground reaction force (GRF) estimation during walking is important for gait and inverse dynamics analyses. Recent studies have estimated 3D GRF based on kinematics measured from optical or inertial motion capture systems without force plate measurement. A neural network (NN) could be used to estimate ground reaction forces. The NN network approach based on segment kinematics requires the selection of optimal inputs, including kinematics type and segments. This study aimed to select optimal input kinematics for implementing an NN for each foot’s GRF estimation. A two-stage NN consisting of a temporal convolution network for gait phase detection and a gated recurrent unit network was developed for GRF estimation. To implement the NN, we conducted level/inclined walking and level running on a force-sensing treadmill, collecting datasets from seven male participants across eight experimental conditions. Results of the input selection process indicated that the center of mass acceleration among six kinematics types and trunk, pelvis, thighs, and shanks among 15 individual segments showed the highest correlations with GRFs. Among four segment combinations, the combination of trunk, thighs, and shanks demonstrated the best performance (root mean squared errors: 0.28, 0.16, and 1.15 N/kg for anterior-posterior, medial-lateral, and vertical components, respectively).

A high-pressure in-situ permeation measuring system was developed to evaluate hydrogen permeation properties of polymer sealing materials under hydrogen environments up to 100 MPa. This system could perform real-time monitoring of hydrogen permeation following high-pressure hydrogen injection, employing the volumetric method for quantitative measurement. By utilizing a self-developed permeation-diffusion analysis program, this system enabled precise evaluation of permeation properties, including permeability, diffusivity and solubility. To apply the developed system to high-pressure hydrogen permeation tests, hydrogen permeation properties of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) materials containing silica fillers, specifically designed for use in high-pressure hydrogen environments, were evaluated. Permeation measurements were conducted under pressure conditions ranging from 5 to 90 MPa. Results showed that as pressure increased, hydrogen permeability and diffusivity decreased while solubility remained constant regardless of pressure. Finally, the reliability of this system was confirmed through uncertainty analysis of permeation measurements, with all results falling within an uncertainty of 10.8%.