Method and apparatus for removal of material utilizing near-blackbody radiator means
AssigneeNew Star Lasers, Inc.
InventorJim Bender
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for removal of material from a substrate including a near black-body flashlamp-type radiator means for providing radiant electromagnetic energy, an ultraviolet radiator means, lamp head or other focusing means for directing the light energy and ultraviolet radiation onto the surface of the coating or coatings to be removed, thereby resulting in the photoablation and photodissociation of the material, and a residual constituents removing means, such as CO.sub.2 pellets.
Claims17
An apparatus for removal of a layer of material coating a substrate utilizing radiant electromagnetic energy, the apparatus comprising:
- near black-body radiator means for providing radiant electromagnetic energy in a pulsed mode, the radiant electromagnetic energy having a bandwidth which includes wavelengths between about 390 nm and about 1100 nm;
- ultraviolet radiator means for providing electromagnetic radiation having a bandwidth which includes wavelengths between about 150 nm and about 390 mn;
- means for directing the electromagnetic radiant energy onto the layer of material coating the substrate for photoablation and photodissociation of the material by formation of a material vapor/plasma;
- and
- means for displacing residual constituents of photoablation and photodissociation from the substrate.
A method for removal of a layer of material coating a substrate utilizing radiant electromagnetic energy, the method comprising the following steps:
- providing a flashlamp-type near blackbody radiator means to generate radiant electromagnetic energy with a bandwidth including wavelengths between about 150 nm and about 1100 nm;
- delivering a predetermined amount of radiant electromagnetic energy with a bandwidth including wavelengths between about 390 nm and about 1100 nm to the layer of material;
- delivering a predetermined amount of radiant electromagnetic energy with a bandwidth including wavelengths between about 150 nm and about 390 nm to the layer of material, thereby causing photoablation and photodissociation of the material to be removed;
- and
- removing the residual constituents of photoablated and photodissociated material from the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.