Laser Ultrasonics for Micro/Nano Systems: From Fundamentals to Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Laser ultrasonics (LU) has emerged as a transformative technology offering non-contact, broadband, and high-resolution ultrasonic generation and detection, overcoming the inherent limitations of piezoelectric transducers that require couplants and physical contact. The rapid progress in micro/nano-fabrication—including MEMS, NEMS, microfluidics, additive manufacturing, and flexible electronics—has generated pressing needs for advanced inspection and processing tools at small scales. The integration of LU with these micro/nano-systems provides unique capabilities: optical characterization of fragile miniature devices, real-time in situ monitoring of additive manufacturing processes, and laser ultrasonic hybrid micromachining for precision fabrication. Furthermore, the convergence with machine learning and physics-informed neural networks enables intelligent wavefield analysis and automated defect identification, opening opportunities for advances in smart manufacturing and quality assurance.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Laser generation and detection mechanisms at micro/nano-scales;
• Characterization of MEMS/NEMS, pMUTs, and cMUTs;
• Non-destructive evaluation of additively manufactured micro-components;
• Laser ultrasonic hybrid manufacturing;
• Miniaturized fiber optic LU systems;
• Optical MEMS acoustic sensing;
• Biomedical microdevices and lab on chip;
• Machine learning for wavefield reconstruction;
• Multiphysics modeling.

Dr. Chuanyong Wang
Dr. Chao Zhang
Guest Editors

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