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Metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) are an emerging class of metals with nanosized reinforcements and have been investigated extensively in recent decades due to their promising properties for widespread applications such as aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and electronics. In this article, a comprehensive review is presented on the science and engineering aspects of MMNCs, especially the processing, microstructures, and properties of MMNCs. Common processing and manufacturing approaches and post‐processing of MMNCs are discussed. Recent advances in the unusual mechanical, physical, and chemical properties of MMNCs are reviewed. Furthermore, the latest progress on the fundamental study of interactions between nanoparticles and metals, including dispersion, pushing, and engulfment during solidification, nucleation, and phase control, is presented. It is worth noting that the exciting opportunities of nanotechnology‐enabled metallurgy (nanotech metallurgy), which have grown out of the domain of MMNCs recently, are also presented briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental findings are presented on the polycrystalline Si films produced using fiber‐laser‐based Spot‐Beam Annealing (SBA) method. Quantitative analysis was performed based on the results obtained from TEM and other microstructure characterization tools. Comparison is made to the films generated using a state‐of‐the‐art manufacturing ELA system under optimal processing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the microstructure of SBA‐crystallized polycrystalline Si films and discusses the potential application of SBA for annealing of amorphous IGZO films. A comparison of the crystallized Si films to those produced using ELA reveals that these strikingly differently generated materials are essentially microstructurally identical. We note that SBA (1) accomplishes the feat while providing certain benefits that address the manufacturing‐related ELA issues regarding operating costs and laser mura, (2) can be configured to execute SLS for realizing high‐mobility TFTs, and (3) may further be utilized for optimal heat treatment of IGZO and other materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]