Laser systems · Vacuum · Optical instrumentation

Casey D. Foley, PhD

Staff Scientist at LuxWall · Physical Chemist (PhD)

I develop production laser and vacuum processes and build the optical and laser-based measurement systems that keep them in control, from algorithm to plant floor. My 12+ years span a first-factory launch, a national laboratory, and university research, and I manage a team of three manufacturing engineers. Results include 99% yield and 3× faster cycles on production laser processes, a piloted ~40% evacuation cycle-time cut, and 23 peer-reviewed papers, including Science and JACS.

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foley.photon@gmail.com LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID

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%

Evacuation cycle-time cut in pilot, with unit quality maintained

$1M+

Cryogenic ion-trap instrument restored to operation

Peer-reviewed papers · 450+ citations · h-index 10

What I do

From photons to production

My PhD is in physical chemistry, but I work as a hands-on engineer. I'm most useful where lasers, vacuum, optics, and data meet, and where a process or instrument has to work reliably rather than just once.

Laser process development

Ablation, scribing, and laser heating with fiber, DPSS, CO₂, and excimer sources. I develop process windows with DOE, keep them in control with sensors and SPC, and document them in SOPs and control plans.

Vacuum & instrumentation

UHV design and builds, production evacuation processes, pulsed discharge plasma sources, cryogenic ion traps, molecular beams, and particle-imaging detectors. I've taken instruments from bare chamber to publishable data.

Optical metrology & vision

Laser-based R-value measurement, phase-shifting deflectometry, confocal profilometry, thermal and distortion scanning, defect detection on glass, and ML surface inspection. I take measurement systems from algorithm to plant floor and tie them to yield data.

Spectroscopy & data

VUV, UV, and IR laser spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and velocity-map imaging. I write automation and analysis in Python, LabVIEW, and MATLAB, and build root-cause analytics for production.

Selected work

Results in production and in the lab

Each project below states the problem, what I did, and the measured outcome.

LuxWall · Production metrology

Algorithm → plant floor

Thermal-performance and flatness metrology

Challenge: Production needed reliable measurements of insulating performance (R-value), glass flatness, and optical distortion to screen product and guide process changes.
Approach: I developed a proprietary laser-based R-value measurement system, from the algorithm through plant-floor integration, and the protocol for using it in quality screening. For flatness I developed an in-line phase-shifting deflectometry system (~10 µm, about 1M points per panel, with automated traceable reports), rebuilt the Python control and micron-level analysis for an offline confocal profiler, and wrote analysis software for distortion tools and a thermal scanner.
Outcome: R-value measurement is integrated on the plant floor for quality screening, and flatness is measured directly at two scales. A cross-instrument study with group-aware cross-validation showed distortion data could not substitute for direct flatness measurement, which kept an overfit proxy out of production.

Laser metrologyDeflectometryConfocal profilometryPlant-floor integrationPython

LuxWall · Production

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 station I traced defects to laser-to-glass height, debris, and process discipline, added in-line confocal distance sensing with auto-focus correction, and integrated a fiber laser, running its factory acceptance test and commissioning. On the ablation station I added in-line confocal depth metrology, closed-loop focus correction, machine-vision part-location correction, and SPC. A root-cause study of ~70k production records then traced cracking at the drilled features, and I developed the laser recipe that eliminated it.
Outcome: On the drilling station, cracking defects were eliminated and other defects fell from about 1 in 10 parts to 1% or less (typical weekly rate), with a 3× faster laser cycle at commissioning. Ablation throughput doubled at ~99% yield.

Fiber laserConfocal sensingMachine visionSPC

LuxWall · First factory

~40% faster (pilot)

Evacuation: the factory bottleneck

Challenge: Evacuation is the factory's bottleneck step, so its cycle time limits the whole plant's output.
Approach: I own the process. After leading its development and commissioning for the first factory, I conceived a major process change grounded in desorption kinetics and took it through gated validation: a production-data pipeline, a capacity and bottleneck simulator, a risk-ordered DOE with FMEA, and treated-versus-control rollouts analyzed with difference-in-differences. I coordinated the change across every level of the company, from the production floor to leadership.
Outcome: Piloted changes cut cycle time about 40% while maintaining unit quality, the changes already live added no measurable scrap, and full implementation is nearly complete.

High vacuumDOESimulationStatistics

LuxWall · Inspection & quality

~50 µm/pixel

In-line inspection and process capability

Challenge: Panels needed dimensional and defect inspection at the line, with data the plant could act on.
Approach: I led specification, vendor selection, and factory and site acceptance testing of a line-scan inspection system that measures panel dimensions and coating edges and detects defects, setting golden-panel and GR&R acceptance criteria and defining its data requirements with the controls and MES teams. I then ran a capability study of 14 in-line QC characteristics (7,000+ measurements) and reset their spec and control limits.
Outcome: The inspection system works in production. A sensor upgrade cut one placement variation by about 70%, and an interactive capability dashboard, automated reporting, and a root-cause-analysis platform keep quality data visible company-wide.

Line-scan visionFAT/SATGR&RCp/Cpk

Sandia National Laboratories

$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 5 K cold-trap systems, aligned and calibrated a tunable IR OPO/OPA (checked against methane photoacoustic spectra) and UV dye lasers, and rebuilt its 10 Hz-synchronized timing and scan control with arbitrary waveform generators and LabVIEW.
Outcome: The instrument was back in full operation in about 7 months. I 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 ISMS 2022.

Cryogenic ion trapIR OPO/OPALabVIEWMass spectrometry

University of Missouri · SLAC

Plasma-discharge beam source

Plasma-discharge beam source for hypersonic chemistry

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. The 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 at SLAC.
Outcome: The beam line produced N⁺, N₂⁺, and Ar⁺ beams for the program. As senior postdoc I mentored students and led lab operations, and I co-authored crossed-beam papers in J. Phys. Chem. Lett. (2023) and Faraday Discussions (2024) and a 2026 SLAC preprint.

Plasma dischargePlasma diagnosticsSIMION118 nm VUV

University of Missouri · PhD

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.

Velocity-map imagingTunable UV lasersMolecular beams

Experience

Career

Aug 2024 – PresentStaff Scientist since Apr 2026

Staff Scientist

LuxWall, Inc. — vacuum-insulated glass · previously Laser Systems Engineer (Aug 2024 – Mar 2026)

Integrated a fiber-laser drilling system, running its factory acceptance test and commissioning: laser cycle time fell ~3×, cracking defects were eliminated, and other defects fell from ~1 in 10 parts to ≤1% (typical weekly rate) through root-cause analysis, in-line confocal distance sensing, and auto-focus correction.
Doubled throughput of a second laser-ablation process at ~99% yield with in-line confocal depth metrology, closed-loop focus correction, machine-vision part-location correction, and SPC.
Own the vacuum-insulated-glass evacuation process, the factory bottleneck: led its development and commissioning, then conceived and led a major process change grounded in desorption kinetics, validated through gated testing and coordinated across all levels of the company; piloted changes cut cycle time ~40% while maintaining unit quality.
Developed a proprietary laser-based R-value measurement system from the measurement algorithm through plant-floor integration, and the protocol for using it in production quality screening.
Led flatness and distortion metrology: developed an in-line phase-shifting deflectometry system (~10 µm), rebuilt Python control and micron-level analysis for an offline confocal profiler, and wrote analysis software for distortion tools and a thermal scanner.
Led specification, vendor selection, and FAT/SAT of an in-line ~50 µm/pixel line-scan inspection system, with golden-panel and GR&R acceptance criteria, working with the controls and MES teams on data integration.
Led a capability study of 14 in-line QC characteristics (7,000+ measurements), reset spec and control limits, and built an interactive capability dashboard.
Eliminated cracking defects at laser-drilled features through root-cause analysis of ~70k production records and a new laser recipe.
Built a multi-line capacity and bottleneck simulator used by engineering and management, rebuilt as zero-install browser apps with automated parity tests.
Manage a team of three manufacturing engineers (since April 2026). Subject-matter expert for laser and high-vacuum processes; defined Class 4 laser-safety controls per ANSI Z136; own control plans, preventive maintenance, SOPs, and work instructions for the production lasers.
Built failure-analysis and reporting systems: a structured root-cause workflow, a postmortem data-capture app, and automated yield, scrap, and trend reporting in Python and JMP.

Aug 2022 – Jul 2024

Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellow

University of Missouri

Designed and built a fast-atom/ion beam machine around a pulsed plasma-discharge source, from new and repurposed hardware, toward electron–ion coincidence imaging of associative-ionization reactions relevant to hypersonic flight (Einzel and deceleration optics, quadrupole energy filter, charge-exchange cell), modeled in SIMION and designed in SolidWorks.
Developed and characterized pulsed electric-discharge plasma sources over two years: discharges in a pulsed-valve expansion producing N⁺, N₂⁺, and Ar⁺ beams, diagnosed with MCP/phosphor imaging, cameras, and PMTs.
Implemented a laser system for VUV detection of atoms and molecules, generating 118 nm light by tripling 355 nm in a Xe/Ar gas cell. Performed MeV ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) experiments at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, with custom Python analysis.
As senior postdoc, mentored and trained group members and led lab operations and instrument training.

Mar 2021 – Jul 2022

Postdoctoral Associate

Sandia National Laboratories — Combustion Research Facility

Returned a relocated $1M+ cryogenic ion-trap tandem mass spectrometer to full operation in about 7 months: restored its high-vacuum and 5 K cold-trap systems, aligned and calibrated a tunable IR OPO/OPA and UV dye lasers, and rebuilt 10 Hz-synchronized timing and scan control in LabVIEW.
Developed IR, UV, and double-resonance spectroscopy methods for structural characterization of metal–molecule complexes and peptides; presented at ISMS 2022.

May 2016 – Dec 2020

Graduate Research Assistant (PhD)

University of Missouri — Suits group

First author on a Science paper reporting quantum resonances in molecular photodissociation, measured with velocity-map imaging.
Designed laser automation systems and custom optical detection for UHV molecular-beam experiments, and built a photolytic radical beam source characterized by REMPI spectroscopy.
Summer 2018 Journeyman Fellow at the Army Research Laboratory: built a porous-silicon particle workflow from wafer to fractionated particle, characterized by FTIR, calorimetry, dynamic pressure, and porosimetry.

Aug 2013 – Apr 2016

Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant

Wayne State University

Developed ionization and ion-mobility mass spectrometry methods (IMS-MS) on Waters, Thermo, and Bruker platforms for biological and polymer analysis (research assistant, Jun 2014 – Apr 2016).
Wrote the lab's Synapt calibration SOP and served as laser-safety lead for its Class 3b UV laser.
Taught analytical chemistry laboratories, including chromatography and separation science (teaching assistant, Aug 2013 – May 2014).

Capabilities

Technical skills

Lasers & optics

FiberNd:YAG / DPSSCO₂ExcimerVUVTi:sapphireDyeIR OPO/OPAAblation & scribingLaser heatingOptical alignmentBeam diagnostics118 nm VUV generationZemax OpticStudioLaser safety

Vacuum & instrumentation

UHV design & buildProduction evacuationCryogenicsIon opticsHigh voltagePlasma generation & diagnosticsMolecular beamsVelocity-map imagingCoincidence detectionSIMION ion opticsSolidWorks / FreeCAD

Metrology & machine vision

Laser-based R-value measurementPhase-shifting deflectometryConfocal profilometryThermal & distortion scanningDefect detectionCamera-based inspectionConfocal sensorsLaser displacementColor measurementML surface inspectionVision integration

Spectroscopy & analytical

UV/Vis/IRFTIRREMPILIFIR–UV double resonancePhotofragmentationMass spectrometryIMS-MSESI / MALDIUED

Process & quality engineering

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 controlMachine learningStatistical analysisAutomation

Research

Publications

I have 23 peer-reviewed papers (8 as first author) on molecular dynamics, laser spectroscopy, ion spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, cited more than 450 times, plus a 2026 preprint from ultrafast electron diffraction experiments at SLAC and 15+ conference presentations. Selected papers are listed below.

2026

Heteroatom Position Controls Ultrafast Photodynamics of Oxazole and Isoxazole

B. Downes-Ward, P. Javed, H. V. S. Lam, …, C. Foley, …, A. G. Suits, C. Aikens, D. Rolles (30 authors)

arXiv:2609.31875 · MeV ultrafast electron diffraction at SLAC Preprint
2024

Site-Specific Photochemistry along a Protonated Peptide Scaffold

C. D. Foley, C. Lee, A. Abou Taka, K. Au, E. Chollet, M. A. Kubasik, L. M. McCaslin, T. S. Zwier

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 13282–13295 First author
2023

Molecular Cage Reports on Its Contents: Spectroscopic Signatures of Cryo-Cooled K⁺- and Ba²⁺-Benzocryptand Complexes

C. D. Foley, C. D. Allen, K. Au, C. Lee, S. B. Rempe, P. Ren, E. L. Sibert III, T. S. Zwier

J. Phys. Chem. A 127, 6227–6240 First author
2023

Sulfur (³P) Reaction with Conjugated Dienes Gives Cyclization to Thiophenes under Single Collision Conditions

H. Li, J. Lang, C. D. Foley, J. Zádor, A. G. Suits

J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 14, 7611–7617
2021

Orbiting Resonances in Formaldehyde Reveal Coupling of Roaming, Radical, and Molecular Channels

C. D. Foley, C. Xie, H. Guo, A. G. Suits

Science 374, 1122–1127 First author
2015

Use of Ion Mobility Spectrometry–Mass Spectrometry to Elucidate Architectural Dispersity within Star Polymers

C. D. Foley, B. Zhang, A. M. Alb, S. Trimpin, S. M. Grayson

ACS Macro Lett. 4, 778–782 First author

All 23 publications Google Scholar →

Education

Education & honors

PhD, Physical Chemistry

University of Missouri · December 2020

Dissertation: Quantum Aspects of Roaming Dynamics. 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

Resources

Engineering tools & explainers

I publish the calculators and notes I use myself. There are 27 live calculators for lasers, optics, vacuum, vision, and SPC, plus a formula reference and in-depth articles.

Browse all tools Formula reference Knowledge center →

Let's talk

I'm open to senior engineering and scientist roles, and to consulting, in laser systems, vacuum processes, optical metrology and inspection, and process development and scale-up.

Based in Marshall, Michigan. The fastest way to reach me is email.