# US 12,000,040 B1 · Cleaning anti-reflective coating process chamber parts

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- Number: US 12,000,040 B1
- Document ID: US12000040B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 18/542,612
- Filed: 2023-12-16
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2023-10-13
- Applicants: Michael Walach; Gregory Boruta
- Inventors: Michael Walach; Gregory Boruta
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000040B1

## CPC

- C23C 16/4401: {Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber}
- A47L 7/0071: {with containers for ash, soot, contaminant or harmful materials (suction devices for removing ashes F23J1/02)}
- B08B 5/04: Cleaning by suction, with or without auxiliary action
- B08B 7/02: by distortion, beating, or vibration of the surface to be cleaned {(B08B7/0007 takes precedence)}
- B08B 13/00: Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning
- B08B 15/023: {Fume cabinets or cupboards, e.g. for laboratories}
- C23C 16/4407: {Cleaning of reactor or reactor parts by using wet or mechanical methods}
- B29D 11/00009: {Production of simple or compound lenses}
- B29D 11/00865: {Applying coatings; tinting; colouring (printing, marking or copying processes B41M; identification in general G09F3/00; producing decorative effects in general B44C; positioning or marking of lenses B24B13/0055)}
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08)
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)

## Abstract

A cleaning booth has a handheld blaster, which emits a pulsed electromagnetic wave that is produced by a wave source. A fiber-optic cable feeds the wave from the source to the blaster. An operator can aim the blaster toward a part that rests on a movable table in the booth. When the operator actuates the wave source, a radiation beam from the blaster ablates anti-reflective coating residue from the part. The cleaning operation can be performed in a same room as the anti-reflective coating process equipment.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for coating ophthalmic lenses with anti-reflective coating, the method comprising:
placing the lenses into an anti-reflective coating process chamber;
operating the process chamber;
removing process chamber parts from the process chamber;
placing the process chamber parts inside an enclosure, in the same room as the process chamber, that is equipped with an electromagnetic wave source and a blaster, wherein the blaster is configured for handheld direction of electromagnetic radiation from the electromagnetic wave source into the enclosure; and
bathing the process chamber parts in radiation from the electromagnetic wave source by actuating the electromagnetic wave source and handling the blaster.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, before actuating the electromagnetic wave source, activating an exhaust system to remove smoke from the enclosure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein placing the parts inside the enclosure comprises placing the parts on a movable table and actuating a motor to move the table into the enclosure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein bathing the parts in radiation further comprises actuating a motor to rotate the table within the enclosure.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein bathing the parts in radiation further comprises adjusting one or more of beam width, intensity, or pulse length of the electromagnetic wave source.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, after bathing the parts in radiation, actuating a vacuum to remove ash from the enclosure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein actuating the electromagnetic wave source comprises pressing a trigger of the blaster.