Laser Cleaning - A New Surface Cleaning Method Without Pollutions

Abstract

AbstractSurface contaminations are removed by laser irradiation with pulse output and short wavelength from various substrate such as magnetic head slide, glass and metals. Laser cleaning is a new dry process to remove surface organic contaminations without using ultrasonic cleaning in organic solvents. This provides a new dry process to clean different substrate surfaces and can take the place of conventional wet cleaning processes such as ultrasonic cleaning with CFC and other organic solvents. The mechanisms of laser cleaning may include laser photodecomposition, laser ablation and surface vibration due to the impact of laser pulse. It is found that short wavelength and short pulse duration are necessary for effective cleaning. It is also found that an appropriate energy density is critical to achieve effective cleaning without causing surface oxidation and secondary contamination.