Scan Interval Research Articles

Femtosecond laser modification of silicon carbide substrates and its influence on CMP process

Silicon carbide (SiC) is one of the most promising third-generation semiconductor materials owing to its superior comprehensive performances. However, high-efficient polishing of the hard-to-process SiC substrate remains a challenge due to its high hardness and high chemical stability. In this paper, the SiC substrate was irradiated by femtosecond laser to enhance the subsequent chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) efficiency. The effects of different laser processing parameters such as laser fluence, focus position, scanning velocity and scanning interval on the surface morphology of SiC were discussed. The influences of the surrounding conditions on the morphology of laser-processed surfaces were also studied. Results show that the Si–O compound was formed on the laser-irradiated SiC surfaces, which is beneficial for the subsequent CMP process due to their lower hardness. Furthermore, the uniform periodic ripple structures formed on the laser-irradiated SiC surface also help to improve the surface flatness. Furthermore, fewer surface defects and lower surface roughness can be achieved in an oxygen atmosphere, which was due to the oxygen participating in the photochemical reaction.

A retrospective longitudinal study of age-related shifts and deformations in the basilar artery bifurcation.

Previous studies have indicated that cerebral arterial morphology is linked to aging and some cerebrovascular diseases. However, the mechanisms of morphological changes remain unclear. This study evaluated age-related positional changes in the basilar artery (BA) bifurcation based on longitudinal computed tomography angiography (CTA) data. This retrospective study evaluated clinical and imaging data from 72 subjects who underwent two CTA scans between July 2011 and August 2019. Three-dimensional (3D) models were reconstructed for each subject based on the two CTA scans with the longest separating interval. Skull landmarks were used to fuse the two models, and the fused model was used to evaluate positional changes in the BA bifurcation. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to identify variables that were correlated to BA bifurcation shifting. Pearson's correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between the shifting distance and change in the BA bifurcation angle. Significant differences between aneurysm and non-aneurysm cases were observed in terms of sex (p = 0.004), CTA scan interval (p = 0.023), and BA bifurcation shifting distance (p = 0.007). Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that the BA bifurcation shifting distance was significantly correlated with the CTA scan interval (p = 0.038) and the presence of aneurysms (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the shifting distance was positively correlated with widening of the BA bifurcation angle (p = 0.002). Aging-related widening of the BA bifurcation angle may be related to distal shifting of the BA bifurcation's position, and larger distal shifting of the BA bifurcation may be associated with the risk of aneurysm formation.

An Ultra-Low-Cost Large-Format Wireless IoT Camera

This paper documents the design, construction, and experimental evaluation of an ultra-low-cost large-format digital camera. Used lenses that cover formats up to 4x5 can be surprisingly inexpensive, but large-format image sensors are not. By combining 3D printing with cheap components developed for use in IoT (Internet of Things) devices, especially the sub-$10 ESP32-CAM, a digital scanning large-format camera capable of over 2GP resolution can be constructed at very low cost. Despite the large image area, Lafodis160 is literally a wireless IoT device, fully remote controllable via Bluetooth and WiFi. This camera was originally intended to serve as a testbed for novel ways to improve capture quality for scenes that are not completely static during the scan interval, and a brief overview is given of methods employing unusual scan orderings that will be evaluated using it.

Digital analysis and prediction of the topography after pulsed laser paint stripping

In this study, a finite element model was established by using ANSYS to analyze the surface topography following the stripping of epoxy resin paint from the type 304 stainless steel. The nanosecond pulse laser was used to carry out the stripping process, while the “Birth & Death” method was used to simulate the resulting surface topography. The authors aimed to study the influences of various process parameters on the paint stripping process, including the laser fluence, scanning speed, and scanning interval. Furthermore, the surface topography following the plane scanning laser paint stripping was predicted, and the results obtained by using numerical simulations were verified experimentally. The results have shown that the cleaning threshold of single-pulse laser paint stripping is approximately 6.1 J/cm2. The ablation depth is inversely proportional to scanning speed and positively correlated with the laser energy density. The process was optimized by using a series of simulations. The optimal plane scanning results were obtained for the 58 μm ablation depth, the removal efficiency of ca. 11.55 cm3/min/kW at the laser fluence of 50 J/cm2, the scanning speed of 5000 mm/s, and the 70 μm scanning interval. Following the comparison with the experimental results, the digital topography analysis model was proposed, providing a reference for controlling the laser paint stripping process within an average error below 10 %.

PHD Filter for Object Tracking in Road Traffic Applications Considering Varying Detectability.

This paper considers the object detection and tracking problem in a road traffic situation from a traffic participant’s perspective. The information source is an automotive radar which is attached to the ego vehicle. The scenario characteristics are varying object visibility due to occlusion and multiple detections of a vehicle during a scanning interval. The goal is to maintain and report the state of undetected though possibly present objects. The proposed algorithm is based on the multi-object Probability Hypothesis Density filter. Because the PHD filter has no memory, the estimate of the number of objects present can change abruptly due to erroneous detections. To reduce this effect, we model the occlusion of the object to calculate the state-dependent detection probability. Thus, the filter can maintain unnoticed but probably valid hypotheses for a more extended period. We use the sequential Monte Carlo method with clustering for implementing the filter. We distinguish between detected, undetected, and hidden particles within our framework, whose purpose is to track hidden but likely present objects. The performance of the algorithm is demonstrated using highway radar measurements.

Optimization of SLS forming parameters in the dimensional accuracy of formed parts

In selective laser sintering powder forming, the performance and dimensional accuracy of the formed part are affected by the process parameters. Different materials have different process parameters, and there is still no reference standard for PA materials. To solve this problem, in response to this problem, PA2200 material was selected, and the influence of scanning interval and scanning speed on the dimensional accuracy of the formed part was analyzed. Through theoretical analysis and experiments, the optimal process parameters were obtained. The best combination of parameters is a scanning speed of 4000mm/s, a scanning interval of 0.5mm, and the size of the molded part has a X-axis deviation -0.35%, a Y-axis deviation -0.4%, and a Z-axis deviation -0.25%.

Customized additive manufacturing of porous Ti6Al4V scaffold with micro-topological structures to regulate cell behavior in bone tissue engineering

Scaffold micro-topological structure plays an important role in the regulation of cell behavior in bone tissue engineering. This paper investigated the effect of 3D printing parameters on the scaffold micro-topological structure and its subsequent cell behaviors. By setting of different 3D printing parameters, i.e., the 3D printing laser power, the scanning interval and the thickness of sliced layers, the highest resolution up to 20 μm can be precisely fabricated. Scaffolds' characterization results indicated that the laser power affected the forming quality of melt tracks, the scanning interval distance determined the size of regularly arranged pores, and the thickness of sliced layers affected the morphological and structural characteristics. By regulating of these printing parameters, customized porous Ti6Al4V scaffold with varied hierarchical micro-topological structure can be obtained. In vitro cell culturing results showed that the regular porous micro-topological structure of scaffolds with the aperture close to cell size was more suitable for cell proliferation and adhesion. The overall distribution of cells on regular porous scaffolds was similar to the orderly arrangement of cultivated crops in the field. The findings suggested that customization of the scaffold provided an effective way to regulate cellular behavior and biological properties.

Longitudinal changes in superficial microvasculature in glaucomatous retinal nerve fiber layer defects after disc hemorrhage

Glaucoma is a multifactorial optic neuropathy, possibly involving vascular dysfunction, leading to the death of retinal ganglion cells and their axons. Disc hemorrhage (DH) is known to be closely associated with the widening of retinal nerve fiber layer defect (NFLD); however, it has not been well elucidated how DH affects retinal microvasculature. We aimed to investigate the association between DH history and longitudinal changes in superficial retinal microvasculature in NFLD. We enrolled 15 glaucoma patients with DH history (32 glaucomatous NFLD locations, with or without DH history). NFLD-angle, superficial retinal vessel density (VD), and decreased superficial retinal microvasculature (deMv)-angle were assessed using optical coherence tomography angiography for at least three times over time. The mean follow-up period and OCT/OCTA scan interval were 21.3 ± 5.4 months (range, 12–28) and 6.8 ± 0.4 months (range, 2–18), respectively. Linear mixed-effects models showed that the presence of DH history was significantly associated with an additional NFLD-angle widening of 2.19 degree/year (P = 0.030), VD decrease of 1.88%/year (P = 0.015), and deMv-angle widening of 3.78 degree/year (P < 0.001). These changes were significantly correlated with each other (P < 0.001). Thus, the widening of NFLD was closely associated with deMv, and DH was associated with a subsequent decrease in superficial retinal microvasculature in NFLD.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Educational Studies About “Museum Education

This study aimed at analyzing the scientific publications about museum education with regard to bibliometric indicators. The study was carried out as a case study, one of the qualitative research methods. The bibliometric data were taken from the WoS database produced by Clarivate Analytics. An online scanning was performed in WoS database. The scan interval involved the dates between 1975 and April 4, 2020. 359 studies related to the museum education were detected in this scan. It was determined that out of these records, 148 of them (%41,22) were included in education/educational research category. The analyses revealed that the type of publications which was encountered mostly were academic articles with 148 studies. In addition to this, it was found that 109 articles were published in the last five years. This rate exhibits that the educational research about the museum education has gained acceleration in recent years. It was detected in the analyses that a total of 470 different key words were used in 148 articles. Moreover, the analyses revealed that the most effective journal was “Journal of Museum Education”. It was determined by the analyses that the researchers from 25 different countries published articles that made contributions to the field. Within this context, it was found that the most active country was the USA and it was followed by Italy, Canada and England. Turkey is ranked 6 out of 25 countries with 7 publications and this shows that serious contributions are made in this field.

DeepFlower: a deep learning-based approach to characterize flowering patterns of cotton plants in the field

BackgroundFlowering is one of the most important processes for flowering plants such as cotton, reflecting the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth and is of central importance to crop yield and adaptability. Conventionally, categorical scoring systems have been widely used to study flowering patterns, which are laborious and subjective to apply. The goal of this study was to develop a deep learning-based approach to characterize flowering patterns for cotton plants that flower progressively over several weeks, with flowers distributed across much of the plant.ResultsA ground mobile system (GPhenoVision) was modified with a multi-view color imaging module, to acquire images of a plant from four viewing angles at a time. A total of 116 plants from 23 genotypes were imaged during an approximately 2-month period with an average scanning interval of 2–3 days, yielding a dataset containing 8666 images. A subset (475) of the images were randomly selected and manually annotated to form datasets for training and selecting the best object detection model. With the best model, a deep learning-based approach (DeepFlower) was developed to detect and count individual emerging blooms for a plant on a given date. The DeepFlower was used to process all images to obtain bloom counts for individual plants over the flowering period, using the resulting counts to derive flowering curves (and thus flowering characteristics). Regression analyses showed that the DeepFlower method could accurately (R2 = 0.88 and RMSE = 0.79) detect and count emerging blooms on cotton plants, and statistical analyses showed that imaging-derived flowering characteristics had similar effectiveness as manual assessment for identifying differences among genetic categories or genotypes.ConclusionsThe developed approach could thus be an effective and efficient tool to characterize flowering patterns for flowering plants (such as cotton) with complex canopy architecture.

Compositional differences in atherosclerosis between the major epicardial arteries; a secondary analysis from the PARADIGM study

Abstract Background Atherosclerotic plaques in the left circumflex artery (LCx) are associated with a lower risk of future events than plaques in the right coronary artery (RCA) and left anterior descending artery (LAD). High risk plaque subtypes including necrotic core and fibrofatty plaque can be evaluated on computed coronary tomography angiography (CCTA) by Hounsfield Unit (HU) density. To date, little is known regarding differences in high risk plaque composition between major epicardial vessels. Purpose The aim of this analysis was to compare plaque extent and composition between the three coronary arteries. Methods This is a secondary analysis of baseline scans from the PARADIGM study which enrolled consecutive patients with suspected coronary artery disease undergoing serial CCTA at a scan interval of ≥2 years. Plaque quantification by composition was performed in the three coronary arteries based on fixed HU thresholds: high risk subtypes consisting of necrotic core (&amp;lt;30 HU) and fibrofatty plaque (31–130 HU), and other subtypes including fibrous (131–350 HU) and calcified plaque (≥351 HU). Comparisons between the coronary arteries were made using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models, accounting for within-patient clustering of the coronary arteries and adjusting for ASCVD risk score and diabetes mellitus. Results From 1,271 patients (mean age 60.3±9.3 years; 57% men; median ASCVD score 9.3%), 3,813 vessels were analyzed. The prevalence of any plaque was lowest in the LCx, as was the prevalence of high risk plaque (Figure; P&amp;lt;0.001 for both). The share of total plaque volume made up by high risk plaque subtypes was the lowest in the LCx (17.3% versus 22.5% [RCA] versus 24.4% [LAD]; P&amp;lt;0.001). In contrast, calcified plaque made up the largest proportion in the LCx (44.5% versus 35.6% [RCA] versus 34.9% [LAD]; P&amp;lt;0.001). Conclusion Prevalence of any plaque as well as high risk plaque subtypes was significantly higher in the LAD and RCA than in the LCx. Also, high risk plaque subtypes made up significantly the lowest proportion in the LCx, whereas calcified plaque made up the largest proportion in the LCx. These data support a different atherogenic milieu contributing to the variable risk patterns between the epicardial coronary arteries. Figure 1. Prevalence of (high risk) plaque Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): This work was supported by the Leading Foreign Research Institute Recruitment Program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) (Grant no. 2012027176).

Noise2Atom: unsupervised denoising for scanning transmission electron microscopy images

We propose an effective deep learning model to denoise scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) image series, named Noise2Atom, to map images from a source domain mathcal {S} to a target domain mathcal {C}, where mathcal {S} is for our noisy experimental dataset, and mathcal {C} is for the desired clear atomic images. Noise2Atom uses two external networks to apply additional constraints from the domain knowledge. This model requires no signal prior, no noise model estimation, and no paired training images. The only assumption is that the inputs are acquired with identical experimental configurations. To evaluate the restoration performance of our model, as it is impossible to obtain ground truth for our experimental dataset, we propose consecutive structural similarity (CSS) for image quality assessment, based on the fact that the structures remain much the same as the previous frame(s) within small scan intervals. We demonstrate the superiority of our model by providing evaluation in terms of CSS and visual quality on different experimental datasets.

VP59.04: The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the Early Pregnancy Assessment Service in a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far reaching healthcare impacts. The rearrangement of healthcare services has been required to adequately prepare for the anticipated surge of affected patients. From 09/03/2020 our institution cancelled elective surgery and clinics. At this the time of writing there were some 6,900 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia. We decided to reduce footfall through our walk-in Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS). Implemented changes included Telehealth consultations where possible, fewer ultrasound scans and increased inter-ultrasound scan intervals. The International Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (IUSOG) later published a consensus guideline outlining how ultrasound scanning could be safely reduced in the pandemic1. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of the introduction of the COVID-19 restrictions on the EPAS. We compared the two-month period after the introduction of COVID-19 changes with the corresponding two-month period in 2019. Study outcomes included occasions of service, type of visit and total number of EPAS ultrasound scans. In March and April 2019 there were 668 occasions of service. In March and April 2020 there were 440 occasions of service, 30% of which were by Telehealth. In March and April 2019 there were 430 EPAS ultrasound scans. In March and April 2020 there were 279 EPAS ultrasound scans. This is a 35% reduction in numbers of ultrasound scans in our department. This initial audit indicates a successful reduction in face-to-face visits and a reduction in total ultrasound scans at the hospital. Given the current low prevalence of COVID-19 cases in Australia (276 per million people) this reduction would seem appropriate. Ongoing prospective data collection will facilitate further assessment of the clinical safety and quality of these changes. REFERENCE 1. https://www.isuog.org/resource/isuog-consensus-statement-on-rationalisation-of-early-pregnancy-care-and-provision-of-ultrasonography-in-context-of-sars-cov-2-pdf.html

In vivo neuroinflammation and cerebral small vessel disease in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

IntroductionAssociations between cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) and inflammation have been largely examined using peripheral blood markers of inflammation, with few studies measuring inflammation within the brain. We investigated the...

Development of antibacterial steel surfaces through laser texturing

The aim of the present study was to develop novel antibacterial touch surfaces through the laser texturing optimization of stainless steel. A wide range of laser fluence (2.11 J/cm2–5.64 J/cm2) and scanning interval (10 µm–30 μm) parameters were explored. The impact of surfaces with different patterns, wettability, and oxidation states on the antimicrobial behavior of Escherichia coli K-12 and biofilm hyper-producing Acinetobacter baumannii MAR002 was assessed. Modification of laser input enacted topographical changes with high scanning intervals leading to ordered surface patterns, while increasing the laser fluence to 5.64 J/cm2 created larger and less ordered plateaus and valleys. Texturing also drove a transition from a hydrophilic starting surface with a contact angle of 80.67° ± 3.35° to hydrophobic (138°–148°). Antimicrobial analysis and bioluminescence assays of E. coli, alongside biofilm forming test through A. baumannii MAR002 indicated the ability of laser texturing to produce effective bactericidal touch surfaces. No simple correlation was found between wettability and bacterial behavior, revealing that proliferation is dependent on roughness, oxidation, and wettability. For the conditions selected in this study, a laser fluence of 5.64 J/cm2 and a scanning interval of 10 µm showcased the lowest amount of recovered bacteria after 30 min.

INVESTIGATIONS ON THE GLOBAL IMAGE DATASETS FOR THE ABSOLUTE GEOMETRIC QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF MSG SEVIRI IMAGERY

Abstract. EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1986, supplies weather and climate-related satellite data, images and products throughout the year for EU Member States and other users worldwide. The optical Earth Observation satellites launched and operated by EUMETSAT, both current and planned ones, have different spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions; sensor models and acquisition geometries. While the number and the diversity of the satellite missions increase, the requirement of novel methods and up-to-date reference data for geometric accuracy assessment of the imagery also grows. This paper aims at reporting the results of a study investigating the availability for suitable satellite imagery to be employed as reference data for the geometric quality assessment (GQA) of MSG SEVIRI Level 1.5 image products. The reference datasets need to have superior spatial resolution, wide global coverage, and spectral compatibility with respect to the SEVIRI sensor, which has 12 spectral bands with 1 km and 3 km spatial resolutions. The SEVIRI sensor works with whiskbroom principle at a geostationary orbit and collects data at 5 minutes (rapid scan) and 15-minutes (full scan) intervals. Although preliminary investigations on reference data were performed by using images of different satellite sensors during the study, in-depth investigations were performed with MERIS global image mosaic and Landsat imagery. The progress and different problems observed in the images are reported here.

Feasibility study on the use of CMOS sensors as detectors in radioguided surgery with [formula omitted]- emitters

Radioguided surgery (RGS) is a medical practice which thanks to a radiopharmaceutical tracer and a probe allows the surgeon to identify tumor residuals up to a millimetric resolution in real-time. The employment of β− emitters, instead of γ or β+, reduces background from healthy tissues, administered activity to the patient, and medical exposure. In a previous work the possibility of using a CMOS Imager (Aptina MT9V011), initially designed for visible light imaging, to detect β− from 90Y or 90Sr sources has been established. Because of its possible application as counting probe in RGS, the performances of MT9V011 in clinical-like conditions were studied.11This work financed by Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare, Italy, project CHIR2, and partially supported by Universitá degli Studi di Perugia, Italy , Fondo Ricerca di Base 2017, project SEISIPO.Through horizontal scans on a collimated 90Sr source of different sizes (1, 3, 5, 7 mm), we have determined relationships between scan fit parameters and the source dimension, namely A quadratic correlation and a linear dependency of, respectively, signal integrated over scan interval, and maximum signal against source diameter, are determined. Horizontal scan measurements on a source, interposing collimators of different size, aim to determine relationships or correlations between scan fit parameters and source dimension. A quadratic correlation and a linear dependency of, respectively, signal integrated over scan interval, and maximum signal against source diameter are determined.In order to get closer to clinical conditions, agar–agar phantoms containing 90Y with different dimensions and activities were prepared. A 90Y phantom is characterized by a central spot and a ring all around, for simulating both signal (tumor) and background (surrounding healthy tissue). The relationship found between scan maximum and 90Sr source diameter is then exploited to extract the concentration ratio between spot and external ring of the 90Y phantom. This observable, defined as the ratio between the tumor and the nearby healthy tissues uptake simulates the Tumor-to-Non-tumor Ratio (TNR). With the aim of evaluating the sensor’s ability to discriminate signal from background relying on the significance parameter, a further 90Y phantom, featuring a well-known and clinical-like activity will mimic the signal only condition. This result is used to extrapolate to different source sizes, after having estimated the background for various TNR. The obtained significance values suggest that the MT9V011 sensor is capable of distinguishing a signal from an estimated background, depending on the interplay among TNR, acquisition time and tumor diameter.

Nanosecond laser fabrication of superhydrophobic surface on 316L stainless steel and corrosion protection application

Herein, we developed an facile, cost-effective and efficient method to fabricate microstructures of different scales on 316 L stainless steel substrate surface by laser modification. By changing the laser parameters, such as various laser fluence (2.69, 3.96, 6.28, 8.14,9.55 J/cm2) during laser irradiation, different sizes of micro-cracks and brain-like microstructures can be obtained. The experimental results indicate that a static contact angle of 160 ± 5° and the sliding angle of 3 ± 0.5°, can be achieved at a scanning interval of 30.0 μm and laser fluence of 8.14 J/cm2, which has the best outstanding wettability. In addition, the microstructures and chemical compositions on the surface were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The corresponding corrosion resistance properties was evaluated by the means of potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The laser textured superhydrophobic surface was found to enhance the corrosion resistance dramatically. Also, after the laser modification, excellent self-cleaning performance was demonstrated based on tests with quartz sand particles. Particularly, we extensively discussed how the structures on the 316 L stainless steel were formed after the ultraviolet nanosecond laser irradiation and the interaction mechanism of the laser and substrate. This study not only provides important insights into the formation mechanism of laser textured surfaces, but also guides practical industrial applications as this approach is simple, low-cost and convenient for fabrication of large-area superhydrophobic surfaces on various metal materials.

Numerical Simulation of Moving Heat Flux during Selective Laser Melting of AlSi25 Alloy Powder

A single-layer three-dimensional model was created to simulate multi-channel scanning of AlSi25 powder in selective laser melting (SLM) by the finite element method. Thermal behaviors of laser power and scanning speed in the procedure of SLM AlSi25 powder were studied. With the increase of laser power, the maximum temperature, size and cooling rate of the molten pool increase, while the scanning speed decreases. For an expected SLM process, a perfect molten pool can be generated using process parameters of laser power of 180 W and a scanning speed of 200 mm/s. The pool is greater than the width of the scanning interval, the depth of the molten pool is close to scan powder layer thickness, the temperature of the molten pool is higher than the melting point temperature of the powder and the parameters of the width and depth are the highest. To confirm the accuracy of the simulation results of forecasting excellent process parameters, the SLM experiment of forming AlSi25 powder was carried out. The surface morphology of the printed sample is intact without holes and defects, and a satisfactory metallurgical bond between adjacent scanning channels and adjacent scanning layers was achieved. Therefore, the development of numerical simulation in this paper provides an effective method to obtain the best process parameters, which can be used as a choice to further improve SLM process parameters. In the future, metallographic technology can also be implemented to obtain the width-to-depth ratio of the SLM sample molten pool, enhancing the connection between experiment and theory.

Microstructure and properties of n-type Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric material fabricated by selective laser sintering

An n-type Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric material Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 was prepared through an SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) process with E12/Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 as composite powder (weight ratio 1:7), from which E12 was degreased after the SLS process. It was studied the effect of laser power, scanning speed and scanning interval on the density and thermoelectric properties of the sintered samples. The laser power was found the most important influential factor, while the scanning interval was the second and the scanning speed the least. The maximum dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT is about 0.88 in the condition when the laser power, scanning interval and scanning speed were 20 W, 0.26 mm and 3000 mm s−1, respectively.