Microscale selective laser sintering of Cu nanoparticles with a short-wavelength nanosecond laser

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Liang, Youwen, Shen, Bo, Shou, Wan
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Liang, Youwen
Shen, Bo
Shou, Wan
author_facet Liang, Youwen
Shen, Bo
Shou, Wan
contents Microscale additive manufacturing of reflective copper is becoming increasingly important for microelectronics and microcomputers, due to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. Yet, it remains challenging for state-of-the-art commercial metal 3D printers to achieve sub-100-micron manufacturing. Two aspects are sub-optimal using commercial laser powder bed fusion systems with infrared (IR) lasers (wavelength of 1060-1070 nm): (1) IR laser has a low absorption rate for Cu, which is energy-inefficient for manufacturing; (2) short wavelength lasers can potentially offer higher resolution processing due to the diffraction-limited processing. On the other hand, laser sintering or melting typically uses continuous wave (CW) lasers, which may reduce the manufacturing resolution due to a large heat-affected zone. Based on these facts, this study investigates the UV (wavelength of 355 nm) nanosecond (ns) laser sintering of Cu nanoparticles. Different laser processing parameters, as well as different nanoparticle packing densities, are studied. Our results show that a short-wavelength laser can reduce the required energy for sintering with decent morphology, and a densified nanoparticle powder bed favors continuous melting. We further show that sub-20 micron printing can be readily achieved with a UV ns laser. These findings provide new insights into short-wavelength laser-metal nanoparticle interactions, which may pave the way to achieve high-resolution micro and nano-scale additive manufacturing.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_18465
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Microscale selective laser sintering of Cu nanoparticles with a short-wavelength nanosecond laser
Liang, Youwen
Shen, Bo
Shou, Wan
Optics
Materials Science
Microscale additive manufacturing of reflective copper is becoming increasingly important for microelectronics and microcomputers, due to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. Yet, it remains challenging for state-of-the-art commercial metal 3D printers to achieve sub-100-micron manufacturing. Two aspects are sub-optimal using commercial laser powder bed fusion systems with infrared (IR) lasers (wavelength of 1060-1070 nm): (1) IR laser has a low absorption rate for Cu, which is energy-inefficient for manufacturing; (2) short wavelength lasers can potentially offer higher resolution processing due to the diffraction-limited processing. On the other hand, laser sintering or melting typically uses continuous wave (CW) lasers, which may reduce the manufacturing resolution due to a large heat-affected zone. Based on these facts, this study investigates the UV (wavelength of 355 nm) nanosecond (ns) laser sintering of Cu nanoparticles. Different laser processing parameters, as well as different nanoparticle packing densities, are studied. Our results show that a short-wavelength laser can reduce the required energy for sintering with decent morphology, and a densified nanoparticle powder bed favors continuous melting. We further show that sub-20 micron printing can be readily achieved with a UV ns laser. These findings provide new insights into short-wavelength laser-metal nanoparticle interactions, which may pave the way to achieve high-resolution micro and nano-scale additive manufacturing.
title Microscale selective laser sintering of Cu nanoparticles with a short-wavelength nanosecond laser
topic Optics
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.18465