Lasers · Vacuum · Ion & Electron Beams · Metrology · Quality
Casey D. Foley, PhD
Laser & High Vacuum Systems Expert · Physical Chemist
Free calculators, an ion and electron optics simulator (in beta), a vision system configurator, a formula reference, and practical explainers for lasers, optics, vacuum, spectroscopy, machine vision, and process quality. They come out of my work in production manufacturing, a national laboratory, and university research, and I keep them here for anyone who needs them.
36 calculators for lasers, optics, spectroscopy, vacuum, charged particles and plasma, vision and color, glazing, and quality. They run in your browser, show the equations and assumptions, and every result has a shareable link.
Lasers, vacuum, and beams, from the lab to production
I'm Casey Foley, a laser and high vacuum systems expert with a PhD in physical chemistry. In research I built a plasma-discharge ion and fast-atom beam machine, restored a 5K cryogenic ion-trap spectrometer, and ran molecular-beam velocity-map imaging and MeV electron diffraction experiments; in production I am the subject-matter expert for all laser and high vacuum processes and develop the measurement systems that keep them in control.
Laser systems & processes
High-power fiber, DPSS, CO₂, and excimer lasers for drilling, ablation, scribing, and sealing in production; tunable dye, IR OPO/OPA, femtosecond Ti:sapphire, and 118 nm VUV sources in the lab. I set process windows with DOE and hold them with in-line sensing and SPC.
High vacuum & UHV
High vacuum ion beam lines, UHV molecular-beam chambers, a 5K cryogenic ion trap restored to full operation, and production high vacuum evacuation processes. I've taken instruments from bare chamber to publishable data, designing and ordering the hardware and maintaining the lasers and vacuum systems myself.
Ion, molecular & electron beams
A pulsed plasma-discharge ion source (N⁺, N₂⁺, O⁺, O₂⁺, Ar⁺), kilovolt Einzel and deceleration optics, quadrupole energy filtering, a charge-exchange cell, molecular beams, MCP/phosphor and velocity-map ion imaging, and MeV ultrafast electron diffraction experiments.
Spectroscopy & mass spectrometry
VUV, UV, and IR laser spectroscopy, IR–UV double resonance in a cryogenic ion trap, REMPI and LIF, and ionization and ion-mobility mass spectrometry on Waters, Thermo, and Bruker platforms. I write instrument control and analysis in Python, LabVIEW, and MATLAB.
Optical metrology & vision
Laser-based R-value measurement, phase-shifting deflectometry, confocal profilometry, laser triangulation and structured light, thermal and distortion scanning, line-scan defect inspection, and color measurement (CIELAB). I take measurement systems from algorithm to plant floor and tie them to yield data.
Process & quality engineering
FAT/SAT and commissioning of laser and vision systems, capability studies with control and spec limits, root-cause analytics, and Class 4 laser safety (ANSI Z136, FDA 21 CFR 1040). I am the technical liaison between production, R&D, and scaling.
99%
Yield on a production laser-ablation process, at 2× throughput
3×
Faster laser drilling cycle; cracks eliminated and other defects cut to ≤1%
40%
Shorter high vacuum evacuation cycle, with unit quality maintained
$1M+
5K cryogenic ion-trap mass spectrometer restored to full operation
DOE, PFMEA, Cp/Cpk, 5-Why, 5S, and control plans in daily production use
Selected work
Results in production and in the lab
Each project below states the problem, what I did, and the measured outcome.
Ion beams & plasma
5 ion beams
Plasma-discharge ion and fast-atom beam machine
Challenge
Studying associative-ionization reactions relevant to hypersonic flight needed fast-atom and ion beams the lab did not have.
Approach
Over two years I designed and built a fast-atom/ion beam machine, from new and repurposed hardware, around a pulsed plasma-discharge source, and characterized the discharge plasmas with MCP/phosphor imaging, cameras, and PMTs. Its kilovolt beam line adds Einzel and deceleration optics, a quadrupole energy filter, and a charge-exchange cell toward electron–ion coincidence imaging; I modeled it in SIMION with custom Lua control and designed parts in SolidWorks. I also built a 118 nm VUV source by tripling 355 nm light in Xe/Ar and ran MeV ultrafast electron diffraction experiments.
Outcome
The beam line produced N⁺, N₂⁺, O⁺, O₂⁺, and Ar⁺ beams for the program. As senior postdoc I mentored students and led lab operations, and the electron diffraction experiments produced a 2026 preprint.
Plasma dischargeKilovolt ion opticsSIMIONCharge exchangeMCP/phosphor imaging118 nm VUVMeV electron diffraction
Instrumentation
$1M+ instrument
Cryogenic ion-trap spectrometer recovery
Challenge
A relocated cryogenic ion-trap tandem mass spectrometer was out of service.
Approach
I restored its high vacuum and 5K cold-trap systems, aligned and calibrated a tunable IR OPO/OPA (checked against methane photoacoustic spectra) and UV dye lasers, and rebuilt its synchronized timing and scan control with arbitrary waveform generators and LabVIEW.
Outcome
I brought the instrument back to full operation, then developed IR, UV, and double-resonance methods that produced first-author papers in JACS (2024) and J. Phys. Chem. A (2023), and presented the work at the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS) in 2022.
Cryogenic ion trapIR OPO/OPALabVIEWMass spectrometry
Laser processing
3× faster · 2× throughput
Laser drilling and ablation in volume production
Challenge
Two production laser processes, a drilling step and an ablation step, needed higher yield and shorter cycle times.
Approach
On the drilling process I traced defects to focus height, debris, and process discipline, added in-line confocal distance sensing with auto-focus correction, and integrated a fiber laser through factory acceptance testing and commissioning. On the ablation process I added in-line depth metrology, closed-loop focus correction, vision-based part location, and SPC, and set its depth specification from first principles. A root-cause study of production data then traced a cracking defect, and I developed the laser recipe that eliminated it.
Outcome
Cracking was eliminated and other drilling defects fell from about 1 in 10 parts to 1% or less, with a 3× faster laser cycle. Ablation throughput doubled at ~99% yield.
Fiber laserConfocal sensingMachine visionSPC
High vacuum
~40% shorter cycle
High vacuum evacuation cycle time
Challenge
A production high vacuum evacuation process needed a much shorter cycle without any loss in quality.
Approach
I conceived a major process change grounded in vacuum physics and took it through gated validation: a production-data pipeline, capacity simulation, a risk-ordered DOE with FMEA, and treated-versus-control rollouts analyzed with difference-in-differences. I coordinated the change from the production floor to leadership.
Outcome
Cycle time fell about 40% with quality maintained and no measurable added scrap.
High vacuumDOESimulationStatistics
Molecular beams & imaging
Science 2021
Quantum resonances in formaldehyde roaming
Challenge
The question was whether quantum resonances couple the roaming, radical, and molecular dissociation channels of formaldehyde.
Approach
I used high-resolution velocity-map imaging with automated, tunable UV laser systems and custom optical detection on a UHV molecular-beam apparatus.
Outcome
We observed orbiting resonances that couple the three channels. I was first author on the Science paper (2021), which has 40+ citations.
Production needed reliable measurements of thermal performance and flatness to screen product and guide process changes.
Approach
I developed a proprietary laser-based thermal-performance measurement, from the algorithm through plant-floor integration, and the protocol for using it in quality screening. For flatness I led development of a phase-shifting deflectometry system for in-line 100% inspection and wrote a Python pipeline for micron-level confocal profiling. I also built analytics that turn thermal-scanner data into process fingerprints.
Outcome
Thermal-performance measurement runs on the plant floor for quality screening, and flatness is measured directly at two scales.
Production needed dimensional and defect inspection at the line, with data the plant could act on.
Approach
I wrote the specification for an in-line line-scan system that measures dimensions and detects defects, ran a competitive vendor selection, and led factory and site acceptance testing. I set golden-part and GR&R acceptance criteria, defined its data requirements with the controls and MES teams, and held the vendor to spec with a tool-versus-manual correlation study. I then ran a capability study of the in-line QC characteristics, set their control limits, and revised their spec limits.
Outcome
The inspection system runs in production. A sensor upgrade cut one key variation by about 70%, and a capability dashboard, automated reporting, and a root-cause platform keep quality data visible across the company.
Line-scan visionFAT/SATGR&RCp/Cpk
Experience
Career
Aug 2024 – PresentStaff Scientist since Apr 2026
Staff Scientist
LuxWall, Inc. — vacuum-insulated glass · previously Laser Systems Engineer (Aug 2024 – Mar 2026)
Technical Leadership: Subject-matter expert for all laser and high vacuum processes and technical liaison between production, R&D, and scaling.
Laser Drilling: Integrated a fiber-laser system through FAT and commissioning for a 3× faster cycle. Eliminated cracking through root-cause analysis of tens of thousands of production records and a new laser recipe, and cut other defects from ~1 in 10 parts to ≤1%.
Laser Ablation: Doubled throughput at ~99% yield with in-line confocal metrology, auto-focus, vision-based part location, and SPC, and set its depth specification from first principles.
Seal Quality: Changed a laser sealing process and wrote its reaction plan, cutting worst-rated seals from ~15% to ~3%.
R-Value Metrology: Developed a proprietary laser-based measurement from algorithm to plant floor, plus the protocol for production quality screening.
Flatness Metrology: Led development of a phase-shifting deflectometry system for in-line 100% inspection, wrote a Python pipeline for micron-level confocal profiling, and built thermal-scanner analytics.
In-Line Inspection: Wrote the spec, ran a competitive vendor selection, and led FAT/SAT of an in-line line-scan inspection system now measuring production parts and detecting defects; held the vendor to spec with a tool-versus-manual correlation study.
Process Capability: Studied 14 QC characteristics, set control limits, revised spec limits, and built a capability dashboard.
Capacity Planning: Built a multi-line capacity simulator used by engineering and management.
Quality Systems: Built a root-cause workflow, a postmortem app, and automated KPI reporting in Python and JMP.
Laser Safety: Defined Class 4 controls (ANSI Z136.1/.9, FDA 21 CFR 1040, NFPA 115) for the production lasers; own control plans, preventive maintenance, and SOPs.
Aug 2022 – Jul 2024
Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Missouri
Plasma Beam Source: Designed and built a fast-atom/ion beam machine around a pulsed plasma-discharge source, from new and repurposed hardware, to study reactions relevant to hypersonic flight.
Plasma Diagnostics: Characterized discharge plasmas for two years (N⁺, N₂⁺, O⁺, O₂⁺, and Ar⁺ beams) with MCP/phosphor imaging, cameras, and PMTs.
Ion Optics: Designed the kilovolt beam line (Einzel and deceleration optics, quadrupole energy filter, charge-exchange cell) and its hardware in SolidWorks, and modeled it in SIMION with custom Lua control.
VUV & Ultrafast: Built a 118 nm VUV source (355 nm tripled in Xe/Ar) and ran MeV ultrafast electron diffraction at SLAC.
Mentoring: As senior postdoc, trained students and ran lab operations.
Mar 2021 – Jul 2022
Postdoctoral Associate
Sandia National Laboratories — Combustion Research Facility
Instrument Recovery: Returned a relocated $1M+ cryogenic ion-trap spectrometer to full operation.
Lasers & Vacuum: Restored the high vacuum system and 5K cold trap, calibrated a tunable IR OPO/OPA and UV dye lasers, and rebuilt timing and scan control in LabVIEW.
Spectroscopy: Developed IR–UV double-resonance methods for metal–molecule complexes and peptides; presented at the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS) in 2022.
May 2016 – Dec 2020
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Missouri — Suits group
Science Paper: First author on quantum resonances in formaldehyde photodissociation, measured by velocity-map imaging.
Molecular Beams & Imaging: Ran velocity-map and slice ion imaging on a UHV molecular-beam apparatus, designed its laser automation and optical detection, and built a REMPI-characterized radical source.
ARL Fellowship: Built a porous-silicon particle workflow from wafer to fractionated particle (Army Research Laboratory, summer 2018).
Aug 2013 – Apr 2016
Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant
Wayne State University
Mass Spectrometry: Developed ionization and IMS-MS methods on Waters, Thermo, and Bruker platforms (research assistant, 2014–2016).
Lab Safety: Wrote the Synapt calibration SOP; laser-safety lead for the Class 3B UV laser.
Teaching: Taught analytical chemistry labs, including chromatography (teaching assistant, 2013–2014).
Process developmentDOESPCCp/Cpk · Pp/PpkPFMEA8D / root causePDCAControl plansSOPs & work instructionsPreventive maintenanceKPI developmentYield improvementFAT/SAT & commissioningGR&RRequirements & design reviewsLean / Six Sigma training5S · Kanban · poka-yokeValue stream mapping5-WhyTeam leadership
Software & data
PythonJMPLabVIEWMATLABControls & MES collaborationData acquisitionInstrument controlStatistical analysisAutomation
Research
Publications
I have 23 peer-reviewed papers (8 as first author) on molecular-beam reaction dynamics, velocity-map ion imaging, cryogenic ion spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, cited more than 450 times, plus a 2026 preprint from MeV ultrafast electron diffraction experiments at SLAC and 15+ conference presentations. Selected papers are listed below.
Dissertation: Quantum Aspects of Roaming Dynamics (PDF). Advisor: Prof. Arthur G. Suits. Particle imaging, laser spectroscopy, laser-system design, and UHV instrumentation.
BS, Biochemistry
Saginaw Valley State University · May 2013
President's Scholarship. Two-year toxicology co-op at The Dow Chemical Company (2010–2012).
Honors & awards
Army Research Laboratory Journeyman Fellowship2018
Thomas C. Rumble Fellowship, Wayne State2014–15
Citation for Excellence in Teaching, Wayne State2014
President's Scholarship, SVSU2009–13
Get in touch
Questions about a calculator, a correction, or a problem in laser processing, vacuum, ion optics and beams, optical metrology, or machine vision? I'm glad to hear from you.
Based in Michigan. Email is the best way to reach me.