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US 2014/0196748 A1Published application
Protective devices and methods for precision application of cleaning polymer to optics
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsMargot H. PHELPS, Kaitlin E. GUSHWA, Eduardo J. SANCHEZ, Calum I. TORRIE
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Abstract
Novel devices and methods for cleaning optics are disclosed. A polymer can be sprayed onto the surface of an optic to capture contaminants. A spray cone can be used to limit the area of the polymer application. As the polymer solidifies, contaminants are captured and subsequently removed together with the polymer.
Claims14
A method to clean optics, the method comprising:
- attaching a spray cone to an optic, the spray cone delimiting an area of the optic to be sprayed;
- mixing a polymer and a solvent in a desired ratio, thereby obtaining a polymer solution;
- spraying the polymer solution on an area of the optic delimited by the spray cone, thereby obtaining a sprayed polymer area, the sprayed polymer area comprising a central area and an edge area;
- removing the spray cone;
- brushing an additional layer of the polymer solution on the edge area of the sprayed polymer area;
- removing the sprayed polymer area, thereby removing contaminants from the optic;
- and
- inspecting the optic for any remaining contaminants.
5 more elements
A spray cone comprising:
- a sheet wrapped into a truncated cone shape, the truncated cone shape comprising a large base end and a small base end;
- plungers, wherein the plungers are configured to allow movement of the spray cone towards and away from a surface of an object;
- and
- thumb screws, wherein the thumb screws are configured to allow movement of the spray cone towards and away from the surface with a finer adjustment control than the movement allowed by the plungers.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.