Comparison of front and back laser irradiation in laser cleaning of silica particles from silica glass Available to Purchase

Laser cleaning of micron and sub-micron particles from various substrates such as silicon wafers and glass has been an active area of research in laser processing [1]. Both understanding the fundamental physics of the light/particle/surface interaction and the development of successful cleaning protocols for industrial application have been drivers. It has been observed that directing the laser beam through a semi-transparent or transparent sample can give a higher laser cleaning efficiency for a given laser fluence than does front laser irradiation [2]. In this work we present new comparative experimental results of “front and back” laser cleaning of silica particles from silica and glass substrates. Also, a comparison is made of the optical damage that occurs at higher laser fluences, beyond the damage free laser cleaning limit, for both.