Fabrication of Functional Surface Microstructures

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D:Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 996

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, China
Interests: fabrication of functional structures and devices; microscale manufacturing and forming; micromilling; laser processing; microscale heat and mass transfer; microchannel heat sinks; heat pipes; cooling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional surface microstructures are special microstructures with exact shapes, dimensions and surface morphologies for specific functions. The introduction of functional surface microstructures in a part or in complete devices enables us to improve their functional performance without extra components. Thus, they has been widely applied in a wide range of optical, thermal, electronic, acoustics, mechanical, and biomedical areas. Triggered by their outstanding properties and wide applications in various fields, functional surface microstructures have attracted widespread research interest in the recent three to four decades. The fabrication of functional surface microstructures is critical for their performance. Various fabrication methods have been developed recently, and their mechanisms have also been explored for their potential applications. The Special Issue aims to provide a collection of the latest research and findings in the fabrication of functional surface microstructures on the following subjects:

  • Cutting of functional surface microstructures;
  • Laser processing of functional surface microstructures;
  • 3D printing of functional surface microstructures;
  • Wire electrical discharge machining of functional surface microstructures;
  • MEMS-based fabrication of functional surface microstructures;
  • Other fabrication methods of functional surface microstructures;
  • Application of functional surface microstructures.

Prof. Dr. Daxiang Deng
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • functional surface microstructures microscale manufacturing
  • cutting
  • laser processing
  • 3D printing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 1618 KB  
Article
Demolding Simulation of Propagation Phase Metasurfaces via Roll-to-Plate Nanoimprint
by Bowen Hu, Hao Chen, Dizhi Sun and Liangui Deng
Micromachines 2025, 16(12), 1360; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16121360 - 29 Nov 2025
Viewed by 534
Abstract
Propagation phase metasurfaces have excellent electromagnetic regulation and polarization-insensitive properties, while roll-to-plate nanoimprint lithography (R2P-NIL) is ideal for their large-scale low-cost fabrication. Existing demolding simulations for R2P-NIL are limited to 2D analysis, ignore elastomeric roller impacts, and cannot handle the discrete pillar/hole structures [...] Read more.
Propagation phase metasurfaces have excellent electromagnetic regulation and polarization-insensitive properties, while roll-to-plate nanoimprint lithography (R2P-NIL) is ideal for their large-scale low-cost fabrication. Existing demolding simulations for R2P-NIL are limited to 2D analysis, ignore elastomeric roller impacts, and cannot handle the discrete pillar/hole structures of such metasurfaces. This study establishes a 3D multiscale simulation model using a finite element method combining a macroscopic elastomeric roller deformation model and a microscopic demolding stress model with motion equation-based parameter transfer. Simulation results show macroscopically that zero elastomeric layer thickness minimizes stress, while stress rises and then stabilizes with increasing thickness; a moderately larger roller radius disperses stress; excessive pressure amplifies stress; a microscopically higher resist elastic modulus lowers stress; cylindrical structures have less stress than cuboids; and the limit aspect ratio peaks at a 100 nm line width. This work provides theoretical support for R2P-NIL parameter optimization and promotes the stable large-scale production of propagation phase metasurfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication of Functional Surface Microstructures)
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