Glasses containing metallic nanoparticles exhibit very promising linear and nonlinear optical properties, mainly due to the surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) of the nanoparticles. The spectral position in the visible and near-infrared range and polarization dependence of the SPR are characteristically determined by the nanoparticles’ shapes. The focus of Ultra-Short Pulsed Laser Engineered Metal-Glass Nanocomposites is the interaction of intense ultra-short laser pulses with glass containing silver nanoparticles embedded in soda-lime glass, and nanostructural modifications in metal-glass nanocomposites induced by such laser pulses. In order to provide a comprehensive physical picture of the processes leading to laser-induced persistent shape transformation of the nanoparticles, series of experimental results investigating the dependences of laser assisted shape modifications of nanoparticles with laser pulse intensity, excitation wavelength, temperature are considered. In addition, the resulting local optical dichroism allows producing very flexibly polarizing optical (sub-) microstructures with well-specified optical properties. The achieved considerable progress towards technological application of this technique, in particular also for long-term optical data storage, is also discussed.

Glass Nanocomposites: Synthesis, Properties and Applications provides the latest information on a rapidly growing field of specialized materials, bringing light to new research findings that include a growing number of technologies and applications. With this growth, a new need for deep understanding of the synthesis methods, composite structure, processing and application of glass nanocomposites has emerged. In the book, world renowned experts in the field, Professors Karmakar, Rademann, and Stepanov, fill the knowledge gap, building a bridge between the areas of nanoscience, photonics, and glass technology. The book covers the fundamentals, synthesis, processing, material properties, structure property correlation, interpretation thereof, characterization, and a wide range of applications of glass nanocomposites in many different devices and branches of technology. Recent developments and future directions of all types of glass nanocomposites, such as metal-glasses (e.g., metal nanowire composites, nanoglass-mesoporous silica composites), semiconductor-glass and ceramic-glass nanocomposites, as well as oxide and non-oxide glasses, are also covered in great depth. Each chapter is logically structured in order to increase coherence, with each including question sets as exercises for a deeper understanding of the text. - Provides comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge and literature review for both the oxide and non-oxide glass nanocomposites (i.e., practically all types of glass nanocomposites) - Reviews a wide range of synthesis types, properties, characterization, and applications of diverse types of glass nanocomposites - Presents future directions of glass nanocomposites for researchers and engineers, as well as question sets for use in university courses

Handbook of Silicon Based MEMS Materials and Technologies, Third Edition is a comprehensive guide to MEMS materials, technologies, and manufacturing with a particular emphasis on silicon as the most important starting material used in MEMS. The book explains the fundamentals, properties (mechanical, electrostatic, optical, etc.), materials selection, preparation, modeling, manufacturing, processing, system integration, measurement, and materials characterization techniques of MEMS structures. The third edition of this book provides an important up-to-date overview of the current and emerging technologies in MEMS making it a key reference for MEMS professionals, engineers, and researchers alike, and at the same time an essential education material for undergraduate and graduate students. - Provides comprehensive overview of leading-edge MEMS manufacturing technologies through the supply chain from silicon ingot growth to device fabrication and integration with sensor/actuator controlling circuits - Explains the properties, manufacturing, processing, measuring and modeling methods of MEMS structures - Reviews the current and future options for hermetic encapsulation and introduces how to utilize wafer level packaging and 3D integration technologies for package cost reduction and performance improvements - Geared towards practical applications presenting several modern MEMS devices including inertial sensors, microphones, pressure sensors and micromirrors

Shortly after the demonstration of the first laser, the most intensely studied theoretical topics dealt with laser-matter interactions. Many experiments were undertaken to clarify the major ablation mechanisms. At the same time, numerous theoretical studies, both analytical and numerical, were proposed to describe these interactions. These studies paved the ways toward the development of numerous laser applications, ranging from laser micro- and nanomachining to material analysis, nanoparticle and nanostructure formation, thin-film deposition, etc. Recently, more and more promising novel fields of laser applications have appeared, including biomedicine, catalysis, photovoltaic cells, etc. This book intends to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art in laser ablation, from its fundamental mechanisms to novel applications.

This book offers a systematic overview of polymer joining and highlights the experimental and numerical work currently being pursued to devise possible strategies to overcome the technical issues. It also covers the fundamentals of polymers, the corresponding joining processes and related technologies. A chapter on the extrapolation of finite element analysis (FEA) for forecasting the deformation and temperature distribution during polymer joining is also included. Given its breadth of coverage, the book will be of great interest to researchers, engineers and practitioners whose work involves polymers.

Femtosecond laser micromachining of transparent material is a powerful and versatile technology. In fact, it can be applied to several materials. It is a maskless technology that allows rapid device prototyping, has intrinsic three-dimensional capabilities and can produce both photonic and microfluidic devices. For these reasons it is ideally suited for the fabrication of complex microsystems with unprecedented functionalities. The book is mainly focused on micromachining of transparent materials which, due to the nonlinear absorption mechanism of ultrashort pulses, allows unique three-dimensional capabilities and can be exploited for the fabrication of complex microsystems with unprecedented functionalities.This book presents an overview of the state of the art of this rapidly emerging topic with contributions from leading experts in the field, ranging from principles of nonlinear material modification to fabrication techniques and applications to photonics and optofluidics.

This handbook provides a comprehensive review of the entire field of laser micro and nano processing, including not only a detailed introduction to individual laser processing techniques but also the fundamentals of laser-matter interaction and lasers, optics, equipment, diagnostics, as well as monitoring and measurement techniques for laser processing. Consisting of 11 sections, each composed of 4 to 6 chapters written by leading experts in the relevant field. Each main part of the handbook is supervised by its own part editor(s) so that high-quality content as well as completeness are assured. The book provides essential scientific and technical information to researchers and engineers already working in the field as well as students and young scientists planning to work in the area in the future. Lasers found application in materials processing practically since their invention in 1960, and are currently used widely in manufacturing. The main driving force behind this fact is that the lasers can provide unique solutions in material processing with high quality, high efficiency, high flexibility, high resolution, versatility and low environmental load. Macro-processing based on thermal process using infrared lasers such as CO2 lasers has been the mainstream in the early stages, while research and development of micro- and nano-processing are becoming increasingly more active as short wavelength and/or short pulse width lasers have been developed. In particular, recent advances in ultrafast lasers have opened up a new avenue to laser material processing due to the capabilities of ultrahigh precision micro- and nanofabrication of diverse materials. This handbook is the first book covering the basics, the state-of-the-art and important applications of the dynamic and rapidly expanding discipline of laser micro- and nanoengineering. This comprehensive source makes readers familiar with a broad spectrum of approaches to solve all relevant problems in science and technology. This handbook is the ultimate desk reference for all people working in the field.

Nanoplasmonics is a young topic of research, which is part of nanophotonics and nano-optics. Nanoplasmonics concerns to the investigation of electron oscillations in metallic nanostructures and nanoparticles. Surface plasmons have optical properties, which are very interesting. For instance, surface plasmons have the unique capacity to confine light at the nanoscale. Moreover, surface plasmons are very sensitive to the surrounding medium and the properties of the materials on which they propagate. In addition to the above, the surface plasmon resonances can be controlled by adjusting the size, shape, periodicity, and materials' nature. All these optical properties can enable a great number of applications, such as biosensors, optical modulators, photodetectors, and photovoltaic devices. This book is intended for a broad audience and provides an overview of some of the fundamental knowledges and applications of nanoplasmonics.

Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena, Second Edition serves as an introduction to the phenomena of ultra short laser pulses and describes how this technology can be used to examine problems in areas such as electromagnetism, optics, and quantum mechanics. Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena combines theoretical backgrounds and experimental techniques and will serve as a manual on designing and constructing femtosecond ("faster than electronics") systems or experiments from scratch. Beyond the simple optical system, the various sources of ultrashort pulses are presented, again with emphasis on the basic concepts and how they apply to the design of particular sources (dye lasers, solid state lasers, semiconductor lasers, fiber lasers, and sources based on frequency conversion). - Provides an easy to follow guide through "faster than electronics" probing and detection methods - THE manual on designing and constructing femtosecond systems and experiments - Discusses essential technology for applications in micro-machining, femtochemistry, and medical imaging

This book focuses on the fundamental concepts and physical and chemical aspects of pulsed laser ablation of solid targets in liquid environments and its applications in the preparation of nanomaterials and fabrication of nanostructures. The areas of focus include basic thermodynamic and kinetic processes of laser ablation in liquids, and its applic