Shockwave-induced deformation of organic particles during laser shockwave cleaning

Although the laser shockwave cleaning process offers a promising alternative to conventional dry-cleaning processes for nanoscale particle removal, its difficulty in removing organic particles has been an unexplained problem. This work elucidates the physics underlying the ineffectiveness of removing organic particles using laser shock cleaning utilizing polystyrene latex particles on silicon substrates. It is found that the shockwave pressure is high enough to deform the particles, increasing the contact radius and consequently the particle adhesion force. The particle deformation has been verified by high-angle scanning electron microscopy. The Maugis-Pollock theory has been applied to predict the contact radius, showing good agreement with the experiment.