Laser decontamination method

Abstract

A laser decontamination method includes the steps of incorporation of a condenser lens in a gas supply nozzle, supplying a gas toward a contaminated member while moving the gas supply nozzle relatively to and along a surface of the contaminated member with a laser beam which is condensed by the condenser lens applied thereto, and thereby continuously melting or evaporating a contaminated surface layer so as to remove the same to clean the contaminated member. The gas is supplied asymmetrically with respect to the axis of the laser beam. For example, the gas supply nozzle maybe formed so that the axis of the laser beam agrees with that of the nozzle, with a plane of an opening of the nozzle inclined with respect to the axis of the laser beam; the nozzle maybe disposed so that the axis of the nozzle agrees with the direction of a normal line of the contaminated member with the plane of the opening of the nozzle inclined upwardly respect to the surface of the contaminated member in the advancing direction of the nozzle; and the gas maybe supplied in a diagonal direction with respect to the axis of the laser beam.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.