This study was financially supported by the National Key Scientific Instrument and Equipment Development Projects (Grant No. 2014YQ120351), the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS (Grant No. 2014136), and the China Innovative Talent Promotion Plans for Innovation Team in Priority Fields (Grant No. 2014RA4051).

1. Preparation of Standard Samples
NOTE: This step is not essential.
<ol>
	<li>Prepare raw material (Table 1). To make a 100 kg of sample #1, add 12.82 kg of Cr, 3.39 kg of Mo, 4.79 kg of Al, 1.00 kg of Ti, 0.60 kg of Cu, and approximately 77.4 kg of Ni to the crucible. During the melting process, some elements will be burned. The final ingredient is determined by the melting temperature, melting duration, and other working parameters. The ingredient test shows the quantity ...

<ol>
	<li>Radziemski, L., Cremers, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+brief+history+of+laser-induced+breakdown+spectroscopy:+From+the+concept+of+atoms+to+LIBS+2012.">A brief history of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy: From the concept of atoms to LIBS 2012.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 87, 3-10 (2013).</li><li>El Haddad, J., Canioni, L., Bousquet, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Good+practices+in+LIBS+analysis:+Review+and+advices.">Good practices in LIBS analysis: Review and advices.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 101, 171-182 (2014).</li><li>Mueller, M., Gornushkin, I. B., Florek, S., Mory, D., Panne, U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Approach+to+Detection+in+Laser-Induced+Breakdown+Spectroscopy.">Approach to Detection in Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.</a> Analytical Chemistry. 79 (12), 4419-4426 (2007).</li><li>Noll, R., Fricke-Begemann, C., Brunk, M., Connemann, S., Meinhardt, C., Schsrun, M., Sturm, V., Makowe, J., Gehlen, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Laser-induced+breakdown+spectroscopy+expands+into+industrial+applications.">Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy expands into industrial applications.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 93, 41-51 (2014).</li><li>Leon, R., David, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+brief+history+of+laser-induced+breakdown+spectroscopy:+From+the+concept+of+atoms+to+LIBS+2012.">A brief history of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy: From the concept of atoms to LIBS 2012.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 87, 3-10 (2013).</li><li>El Haddad, J., Canioni, L., Bousquet, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Good+practices+in+LIBS+analysis:+Review+and+advices.">Good practices in LIBS analysis: Review and advices.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 101, 171-182 (2014).</li><li>Gonzaga, B. F., Pasquini, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+compact+and+low+cost+laser+induced+breakdown+spectroscopic+system:+Application+for+simultaneous+determination+of+chromium+and+nickel+in+steel+using+multivariate+calibration.">A compact and low cost laser induced breakdown spectroscopic system: Application for simultaneous determination of chromium and nickel in steel using multivariate calibration.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 69, 20-24 (2012).</li><li>Peter, L., Sturm, V., Noll, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Liquid+steel+analysis+with+laser-induced+breakdown+spectrometry+in+the+vacuum+ultraviolet.">Liquid steel analysis with laser-induced breakdown spectrometry in the vacuum ultraviolet.</a> Applied Optics. 42 (30), 6199-6204 (2003).</li><li>Hubmer, G., Kitzberger, R., M&#246;rwald, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Application+of+LIBS+to+the+in-line+process+control+of+liquid+high-alloy+steel+under+pressure.">Application of LIBS to the in-line process control of liquid high-alloy steel under pressure.</a> Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 385 (2), 219-224 (2006).</li><li>Sun, L. X., Yu, H. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Automatic+estimation+of+varying+continuum+background+emission+in+laser-induced+breakdown+spectroscopy.">Automatic estimation of varying continuum background emission in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 64, 278-287 (2009).</li><li>Lin, X. M., Chang, P. H., Chen, G. H., Lin, J. J., Liu, R. X., Yang, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Effect+of+melting+iron-based+alloy+temperature+on+carbon+content+observed+in+laser-induced+breakdown+spectroscopy.">Effect of melting iron-based alloy temperature on carbon content observed in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.</a> Plasma Science &amp; Technology. 17 (11), 933-937 (2015).</li><li>Rai, A. K., Yueh, F. Y., Singh, J. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Laser-induced+breakdown+spectroscopy+of+molten+aluminum+alloy.">Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of molten aluminum alloy.</a> Applied Optics. 42 (12), 2078-2084 (2003).</li><li>Hanson, C., Phongikaroon, S., Scott, J. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Temperature+effect+on+laser-induced+breakdown+spectroscopy+spectra+of+molten+and+solid+salts.">Temperature effect on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy spectra of molten and solid salts.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 97, 79-85 (2014).</li><li>Darwiche, S., Benrabbah, R., Benmansour, M., Morvan, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Impurity+detection+in+solid+and+molten+silicon+by+laser+induced+breakdown+spectroscopy.">Impurity detection in solid and molten silicon by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy.</a> Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 74, 115-118 (2012).</li><li>Linstrom, P. J., Mallard, W. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=NIST+Chemistry+WebBook,+NIST+Standard+Reference+Database+Number+69.">NIST Chemistry WebBook, NIST Standard Reference Database Number 69.</a> National Institute of Standards and Technology. , 20899 (2018).</li></ol>

For elemental analysis, popular methods are X-ray fluorescence (XRF), spark discharge optical emission spectrometry (SD-OES), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and inductive couple plasma (ICP). These methods are mainly suited for a laboratory and industrial online application for molten alloys, which is determined by the characters of these technologies, is difficult. XRF uses X-rays to shock samples, and SD-OES makes sparks on the samples. The working distance of these two methods are always in the range of several...

Due to its unique features, such as remote sensing, fast analysis, and no need for sample preparation, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) offers unique capabilities for on-line concentration determination1,2,3. Although the use of the LIBS technique in different fields has been investigated4,5,6, a considerable attempt to develop its capabilities in industrial applications is ongoing.
Analysis of molten material contents during the course of industrial processes can effectively improve the product quality, which is a promising development direction of LIBS. Experimental findings have been reported about the application of LIBS in the industrial field, such as findings about argon oxygen liquid steel7,8,9,10,11, molten aluminium alloy12, molten salt13, and molten silicon14. The majority of these materials exist in the environment of air or an assistant gas. However, vacuum induction melting (VIM) is another good application field of LIBS to realize processing control. A VIM furnace can realize smelting at temperatures higher than 1,700 &#176;C for alloy refining; it is the most popular method for refining high-purity metal and alloys such as iron-base or nickel-base alloys, high purity alloys, and clean magnetic alloys. During the course of melting, the pressure in a furnace is always in the region of 1-10 Pa, and the composition of air in the furnace mainly includes the air absorbed on the sample or the inner wall of the furnace and some vaporous oxide or nitride metal. These working situations induce quite different LIBS measurement situations for smelting in air. Here, we report an experimental investigation of the analysis of molten alloy during the course of VIM by LIBS.
An optical window is added to a furnace for laser ablation and radiant light detection. A silica glass with a diameter of 80 mm serves as the window. An emitting laser and gathering of radiant light employ the same window; it is a co-axial optical structure that focuses on the same point. The working focal length is approximately 1.8 m, and the focusing length of the experimental setup can be adjusted from 1.5 to 2.5 m.
Based on the practicality of industrial online analysis, precision, repeatability and stability is more important than the low limit of detection (LOD) during molten alloy ingredient analysis. The technical route of a four-channel linear CCD spectrometer is chosen, the spectral range of the spectrometer ranges from 190 to 600 nm, the resolution is 0.06 nm, and the wavelength is 200 nm. A laser diode pumped Q-switched laser (constructed in house) is used to ablate molten alloy, with an output energy of 100 mJ, a frequency of 5 Hz, an FWHM pulse width of 20 ns, and a working wavelength of 1064 nm. The remaining part will present the VIM LIBS-analysing process and live measurement, followed by an introduction of the data processing results.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:699px;" width="699">
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		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Laser source</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Gklaser Co.,Ltd.</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:229px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Molten alloy to be measured</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Smelting furnace</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Tianyu Co.,Ltd.</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Spectrometer</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Avantes</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">standard samples</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>Well known of its composition</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

quantitative analysis of vacuum induction melting by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Vacuum induction melting is a popular method for refining high purity metal and alloys. Traditionally, standard process control in metallurgy involves several steps, include drawing samples, cooling, cutting, transport to the laboratory, and analysis. The whole analysis process requires more than 30 minutes, which hinders on-line process control. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is an excellent on-line analysis method that can satisfy the requirements of vacuum induction melting because it is fast and noncontact and does not require sample preparation. The experimental facility uses a lamp-pumped Q-switched laser to ablate melted liquid steel with an output energy of 80 mJ, a frequency of 5 Hz, a FWHM pulse width of 20 ns, and a working wavelength of 1,064 nm. A multi-channel linear charge coupled device (CCD) spectrometer is used to measure the emission spectrum in real time, with a spectral range from 190 to 600 nm and a resolution of 0.06 nm at a wavelength of 200 nm. The protocol includes several steps: standard alloy sample preparation and an ingredient test, smelting of standard samples and determination of the laser breakdown spectrum, and construction of the elements concentration quantitative analysis curve of each element. To realize the concentration analysis of unknown samples, the spectrum of a sample also needs to be measured and disposed with the same process. The composition of all main elements in the melted alloy can be quantitatively analyzed with an internal standard method. The calibration curve shows that the limit of detection of most metal elements ranges from 20-250 ppm. The concentration of elements, such as Ti, Mo, Nb, V, and Cu, can be lower than 100 ppm, and the concentrations of Cr, Al, Co, Fe, Mn, C, and Si range from 100-200 ppm. The R2 of some calibration curves can exceed 0.94.

Ten nickel-based alloy samples (#1-#10) are used to construct internal-standard calibration curves. The compositions of all samples are listed in Table 1. The elemental concentrations of these samples are orthogonally designed to avoid signal interference. The concentration of each element in all samples is measured with chemical analysis methods.
Nickel is the internal standard element. The calibration curves o...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Quantitative Analysis of Vacuum Induction Melting by Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy at JoVE.com

Quantitative Analysis of Vacuum Induction Melting by Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

During vacuum induction melting, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is used to perform real-time quantitative analysis of the main-ingredient elements of a molten alloy.

Vacuum induction melting is a popular method for refining high purity metal and alloys. Traditionally, standard process control in metallurgy involves ...

We have realized industrial online monitoring of the molten alloys component by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. By this technology, main and trace elements of the molten alloys can be analyzed in realtime. A vacuum induction smelting furnace can smelt for alloy refining, and this is the most popular method for refining alloys.Analysis of the molten material components during the course of industrial processes can effectively improve the production quality. LIBS has the advantages of fast and long-distance analysis. It is a good method to realize online ingredient analysis for industrial application.Demonstrating the procedure will be Xin Li and Shenghai Zhao, a PhD student and a technician from my laboratory. To begin this procedure, analyze the standard samples and construct the calibration curve of the quantitative analysis as outlined in the text protocol. Then put the unknown sample into the smelting system.Next open the laser generator and realize the pulsed laser output using a pulse width of 20 nanoseconds, a frequency of five hertz, and an energy of 90 millijoules for each pulse. Open the spectrometer and the spectrum deposit software, and determine the spectrum using a spectral range of 190 to 600 nanometers, a resolution of 0.06 nanometers at a wavelength of 200 nanometers, and an integration time of 10 milliseconds. After this, adjust the laser focusing position, and optimize it until the strongest spectrum signal is attained.Determine the laser breakdown spectrum, taking note that each laser pulse generates a frame of the spectrum and that 20 frames of the spectrum are obtained and averaged for the analysis. Intensity of plasma spectral signal is an important factor to get good precision of quantitative analysis. In our experiments, the value of the highest peak should exceed 10, 000.For spectrum pretreatment, perform background correction, such as deleting the background effect caused by breaking radiation, to perform spectrum fitting. Then perform analysis elemental concentration by the internal standard method from the calibration curve. In this study, 10 nickel-based alloy samples are used to construct internal standard calibration curves.Nickel is the internal standard element, and the calibration curves for copper, titanium, molybdenum, aluminum, and chromium are shown here. The calibration curves all show a near-linear relationship between the concentration of the element and the peak intensity. All signal peaks are filtered by the signal intensity, the central wavelength, and the Lorentz fitting effect.The limit of detection for each element is calculated according to the standard of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. Experimental results have shown that this technology can be used on industrial vacuum melting production, and this major components of molten alloys can be quantitatively analyzed.

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7.1K ビュー.  Chinese Academy of Sciences. レーザーによる破壊分光法による溶融合金成分の工業用オンラインモニタリングを実現しました。この技術により、溶融合金の主成分と微量元素をリアルタイムで分析することができます。真空誘導製錬炉は合金精製用の融解が可能で、合金を精製する方法として最も一般的です。工業プロセスの過程で溶融材料成分を分析することで、生産品質を効果的に向上さ?...

ビデオ: Quantitative Analysis of Vacuum Induction Melting by Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

During vacuum induction melting, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is used to perform real-time quantitative analysis of the main-ingredient elements of a molten...

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Dependence of Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Results on Pulse Energies and Timing Parameters Using Soil Simulants

LIBS detection capabilities on soil simulants were tested using a range of pulse energies and timing parameters.  Calibration curves were used to determine detection limits and sensitivities for different parameters.  Generally, the results showed that there was not a significant reduction in detection capabilities using lower pulse energies and non-gated...

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Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy: A New Approach for Nanoparticle&#039;s Mapping and Quantification in Organ Tissue

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Measurement and Analysis of Atomic Hydrogen and Diatomic Molecular AlO, C2, CN, and TiO Spectra Following Laser-induced Optical Breakdown

Time-resolved atomic and diatomic molecular species are measured using LIBS. The spectra are collected at various time delays following the generation of optical breakdown plasma with Nd:YAG laser radiation&#160;and are analyzed to infer electron density and...

Measurement and Analysis of Atomic Hydrogen and Diatomic Molecular AlO, C2, CN, and TiO Spectra Following Laser-induced Optical Breakdown

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In this work, we present time-resolved measurements of atomic and diatomic spectra following laser-induced optical breakdown. A typical LIBS arrangement is used. Here we operate a Nd:YAG laser at a frequency of 10 Hz at the fundamental wavelength of 1,064 nm. The 14 nsec pulses with anenergy of 190 mJ/pulse are focused to a 50 &#181;m spot size to generate a plasma from optical breakdown or laser ablation in air. The microplasma is imaged onto the entrance slit of a 0.6 m spectrometer, and spectra are recorded using an 1,800 grooves/mm grating an intensified linear diode array and optical multichannel analyzer (OMA) or an ICCD. Of interest are Stark-broadened atomic lines of the hydrogen Balmer series to infer electron density. We also elaborate on temperature measurements from diatomic emission spectra of aluminum monoxide (AlO), carbon (C2), cyanogen (CN), and titanium monoxide (TiO).
The experimental procedures include wavelength and sensitivity calibrations. Analysis of the recorded molecular spectra is accomplished by the fitting of data with tabulated line strengths. Furthermore, Monte-Carlo type simulations are performed to estimate the error margins. Time-resolved measurements are essential for the transient plasma commonly encountered in LIBS.

Time-resolved atomic and diatomic molecular species are measured using LIBS. The spectra are collected at various time delays following the generation of optical breakdown plasma with Nd:YAG laser radiation&#160;and are analyzed to infer electron density and temperature.

In this work, we present time-resolved measurements of atomic and diatomic spectra following laser-induced optical breakdown. A typical LIBS arrangement ...

Emission spectroscopy of laser-induced plasma was applied to elemental analysis of biological samples. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) performed on thin sections of rodent tissues: kidneys and tumor, allows the detection of inorganic elements such as (i) Na, Ca, Cu, Mg, P, and Fe, naturally present in the body and (ii) Si and Gd, detected after the injection of gadolinium-based nanoparticles. The animals were euthanized 1&#160;to 24 hr&#160;after intravenous injection of particles. A two-dimensional scan of the sample, performed using a motorized micrometric 3D-stage, allowed the infrared laser beam exploring the surface with a lateral resolution less than 100 &#956;m. Quantitative chemical images of Gd element inside the organ were obtained with sub-mM sensitivity. LIBS offers a simple and robust method to study the distribution of inorganic materials without any specific labeling. Moreover, the compatibility of the setup with standard optical microscopy emphasizes its potential to provide multiple images of the same biological tissue with different types of response:&#160;elemental, molecular, or cellular.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy performed on thin organ and tumor tissue successfully detected natural elements and artificially injected gadolinium (Gd), issued from Gd-based nanoparticles. Images of chemical elements reached a resolution of 100 &#956;m and quantitative sub-mM sensitivity. The compatibility of the setup with standard optical microscopy emphasizes its potential to provide multiple images of a same biological tissue.

Emission spectroscopy of laser-induced plasma was applied to elemental analysis of biological samples. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) ...

Investigating Single Molecule Adhesion by Atomic Force Spectroscopy

Atomic force spectroscopy is an ideal tool to study molecules at surfaces and interfaces. An experimental protocol to couple a large variety of single molecules covalently onto an AFM tip is presented. At the same time the AFM tip is passivated to prevent unspecific interactions between the tip and the substrate, which is a prerequisite to study single molecules attached to the AFM tip. Analyses to determine the adhesion force, the adhesion length, and the free energy of these molecules on solid surfaces and bio-interfaces are shortly presented and external references for further reading are provided. Example molecules are the poly(amino acid) polytyrosine, the graft polymer PI-g-PS and the phospholipid POPE (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine). These molecules are desorbed from different surfaces like CH3-SAMs, hydrogen terminated diamond and supported lipid bilayers under various solvent conditions. Finally, the advantages of force spectroscopic single molecule experiments are discussed including means to decide if truly a single molecule has been studied in the experiment.

A protocol to couple a large variety of single molecules covalently onto an AFM tip is presented. Procedures and examples to determine the adhesion force and free energy of these molecules on solid supports and bio-interfaces are provided.

Atomic force spectroscopy is an ideal tool to study molecules at surfaces and interfaces. An experimental protocol to couple a large variety of single ...

Laser-induced Forward Transfer for Flip-chip Packaging of Single Dies

Flip-chip (FC) packaging is a key technology for realizing high performance, ultra-miniaturized and high-density circuits in the micro-electronics industry. In this technique the chip and/or the substrate is bumped and the two are bonded via these conductive bumps. Many bumping techniques have been developed and intensively investigated since the introduction of the FC technology in 19601 such as stencil printing, stud bumping, evaporation and electroless/electroplating2. Despite the progress that these methods have made they all suffer from one or more than one drawbacks that need to be addressed such as cost, complex processing steps, high processing temperatures, manufacturing time and most importantly the lack of flexibility. In this paper, we demonstrate a simple and cost-effective laser-based bump forming technique known as Laser-induced Forward Transfer (LIFT)3. Using the LIFT technique a wide range of bump materials can be printed in a single-step with great flexibility, high speed and accuracy at RT. In addition, LIFT enables the bumping and bonding down to chip-scale, which is critical for fabricating ultra-miniature circuitry.

We demonstrate the use of the Laser-induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) technique for flip-chip assembly of optoelectronic components. This approach provides a simple, cost-effective, low-temperature, fast and flexible solution for fine-pitch bumping and bonding on chip-scale for achieving high-density circuits for optoelectronic applications.

Flip-chip (FC) packaging is a key technology for realizing high performance, ultra-miniaturized and high-density circuits in the micro-electronics ...

Seedless Growth of Bismuth Nanowire Array via Vacuum Thermal Evaporation

Here a seedless and template-free technique is demonstrated to scalably grow bismuth nanowires, through thermal evaporation in high vacuum at RT. Conventionally reserved for the fabrication of metal thin films, thermal evaporation deposits bismuth into an array of vertical single crystalline nanowires over a flat thin film of vanadium held at RT, which is freshly deposited by magnetron sputtering or thermal evaporation. By controlling the temperature of the growth substrate the length and width of the nanowires can be tuned over a wide range. Responsible for this novel technique is a previously unknown nanowire growth mechanism that roots in the mild porosity of the vanadium thin film. Infiltrated into the vanadium pores, the bismuth domains (~ 1 nm) carry excessive surface energy that suppresses their melting point and continuously expels them out of the vanadium matrix to form nanowires. This discovery demonstrates the feasibility of scalable vapor phase synthesis of high purity nanomaterials without using any catalysts.

A protocol for seedless and high yield growth of bismuth nanowire arrays through vacuum thermal evaporation technique is presented.

Here a seedless and template-free technique is demonstrated to scalably grow bismuth nanowires, through thermal evaporation in high vacuum at RT. ...

Over the past decade, there has been much development of non-lithographic methods1-3 for printing metallic inks or other functional materials. Many of these processes such as inkjet3 and laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)4 have become increasingly popular as interest in printable electronics and maskless patterning has grown. These additive manufacturing processes are inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and well suited for rapid prototyping, when compared to more traditional semiconductor processing techniques. While most direct-write processes are confined to two-dimensional structures and cannot handle materials with high viscosity (particularly inkjet), LIFT can transcend both constraints if performed properly. Congruent transfer of three dimensional pixels (called voxels), also referred to as laser decal transfer (LDT)5-9, has recently been demonstrated with the LIFT technique using highly viscous Ag nanopastes to fabricate freestanding interconnects, complex voxel shapes, and high-aspect-ratio structures. In this paper, we demonstrate a simple yet versatile process for fabricating a variety of micro- and macroscale Ag structures. Structures include simple shapes for patterning electrical contacts, bridging and cantilever structures, high-aspect-ratio structures, and single-shot, large area transfers using a commercial digital micromirror device (DMD) chip.

We demonstrate the use of the Laser-induced forward transfer technique (LIFT) for the printing of high-viscosity Ag paste. This technique offers a simple, low temperature, robust process for non-lithographically printing microscale 2D and 3D structures.

Over the past decade, there has been much development of non-lithographic methods1-3 for printing metallic inks or other functional materials. Many of ...

Quantitative Hardness Measurement by Instrumented AFM-indentation

In this work, a combination of amplitude-modulated non-contact atomic force microscopy and atomic force spectroscopy is applied for instrumented hardness measurements on an Au(111) surface with atomistic resolution of single plasticity events. A careful experimental procedure is described that includes the force sensor selection, its calibration, the calibration of the cantilever deflection detection system, and the minimization of instrumental drift for accurate and reproducible force-distance measurements. Also, a method for the data analysis is presented that allows the extraction of force-penetration curves from recorded force-distance curves. A typical curve displays a clear elastic deformation regime up to the first plasticity event, or pop-in, with a length in the range of one to two Burger's vectors. Later plasticity events exhibit the same magnitude. The work of plasticity is further extracted from the measurements. Finally, the hardness is determined in combination with the indentation curve using non-contact atomic force microscopy images of the remaining indents.

This experimental protocol describes how atomic force microscopy can be used to measure hardness at the true nanometer scale and to detect single atomistic plasticity events.

In this work, a combination of amplitude-modulated non-contact atomic force microscopy and atomic force spectroscopy is applied for instrumented hardness ...

Fabrication of 1-D Photonic Crystal Cavity on a Nanofiber Using Femtosecond Laser-induced Ablation

We present a protocol for fabricating 1-D Photonic Crystal (PhC) cavities on subwavelength-diameter tapered optical fibers, optical nanofibers, using femtosecond laser-induced ablation. We show that thousands of periodic nano-craters are fabricated on an optical nanofiber by irradiating with just a single femtosecond laser pulse. For a typical sample, periodic nano-craters with a period of 350 nm and with diameter gradually varying from 50 - 250 nm over a length of 1 mm are fabricated on a nanofiber with diameter around 450 - 550 nm. A key aspect of such a nanofabrication is that the nanofiber itself acts as a cylindrical lens and focuses the femtosecond laser beam on its shadow surface. Moreover, the single-shot fabrication makes it immune to mechanical instabilities and other fabrication imperfections. Such periodic nano-craters on nanofiber, act as a 1-D PhC and enable strong and broadband reflection while maintaining the high transmission out of the stopband. We also present a method to control the profile of the nano-crater array to fabricate apodized and defect-induced PhC cavities on the nanofiber. The strong confinement of the field, both transverse and longitudinal, in the nanofiber-based PhC cavities and the efficient integration to the fiber networks, may open new possibilities for nanophotonic applications and quantum information science.

We present a protocol for fabricating 1-D photonic crystal cavities on subwavelength diameter silica fibers (optical nanofibers) using femtosecond laser-induced ablation.

We present a protocol for fabricating 1-D Photonic Crystal (PhC) cavities on subwavelength-diameter tapered optical fibers, optical nanofibers, using ...

Production and Characterization of Vacuum Deposited Organic Light Emitting Diodes

A method for producing simple and efficient thermally-activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on guest-host or exciplex donor-acceptor emitters is presented. With a step-by-step procedure, readers will be able to repeat and produce OLED devices based on simple organic emitters. A patterning procedure allowing the creation of personalized indium tin oxide (ITO) shape is shown. This is followed by the evaporation of all layers, encapsulation and characterization of each individual device. The end goal is to present a procedure that will give the opportunity to repeat the information presented in cited publication but also using different compounds and structures in order to prepare efficient OLEDs.

A protocol for the production of simple structured organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is presented.

A method for producing simple and efficient thermally-activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on guest-host or exciplex ...

During energy conversion, material production, and metallurgy processes, reactions often have the features of unsteadiness, multistep, and multi-intermediates. Thermogravimetry-mass spectrum (TG-MS) is seen as a powerful tool to study reaction features. However, reaction details and reaction mechanics have not been effectively obtained directly from the ion current of TG-MS. Here, we provide a method of an equivalent characteristic spectrum analysis (ECSA) for analyzing the mass spectrum and giving the mass flow rate of reaction gases as precise as possible. The ECSA can effectively separate overlapping ion peaks and then eliminate the mass discrimination and temperature-dependent effect. Two example experiments are presented: (1) the decomposition of CaCO3 with evolved gas of CO2 and the decomposition of hydromagnesite with evolved gas of CO2 and H2O, to evaluate the ECSA on single-component system measurement and (2) the thermal pyrolysis of Zhundong coal with evolved gases of inorganic gases CO, H2, and CO2, and organic gases C2H4, C2H6, C3H8, C6H14, etc., to evaluate the ECSA on multi-component system measurement. Based on the successful calibration of the characteristic spectrum and relative sensitivity of specific gas and the ECSA on mass spectrum, we demonstrate that the ECSA accurately gives the mass flow rates of each evolved gas, including organic or inorganic gases, for not only single but multi-component reactions, which cannot be implemented by the traditional measurements.

Precise determination of the evolved gases&#39; flow rate is key to study the details of reactions. We provide a novel quantitative analysis method of equivalent characteristic spectrum analysis for thermogravimetry-mass spectrum analysis by establishing the calibration system of the characteristic spectrum and relative sensitivity, for obtaining the flow rate.