Applications of Laser Cleaning Technology

Semiconductor Field

Cleaning of Semiconductor Wafers and Optical Substrates: Semiconductor wafers and optical substrates have a similar process during manufacturing, which involves processing raw materials into the required shapes through cutting, grinding, and other methods. During this process, particulate contaminants are introduced, which are difficult to remove and prone to repeated contamination. Contaminants on the surface of semiconductor wafers can affect the quality of circuit board printing, thereby shortening the lifespan of semiconductor chips. Contaminants on the surface of optical substrates can affect the quality of optical devices and coatings, potentially leading to uneven energy distribution and a shortened lifespan.  

Due to the fact that laser dry cleaning can easily cause damage to the substrate surface, this cleaning method is less commonly used in the cleaning of semiconductor wafers and optical substrates. Laser wet cleaning and laser plasma shock wave cleaning have had more successful applications in this field.

Metal Materials Field

Cleaning of Metal Material Surfaces: Compared to the cleaning of semiconductor wafers and optical substrates, the contaminants cleaned from metal material surfaces are on a macroscopic scale. The main contaminants on metal material surfaces include oxide layers (rust layers), paint layers, coatings, and other attachments. According to the type of contaminant, they can be divided into organic pollutants (such as paint layers and coatings) and inorganic pollutants (such as rust layers).

The cleaning of pollutants on metal material surfaces is mainly to meet subsequent processing or usage requirements. For example, before welding titanium alloy parts, an oxide layer about 10μm thick needs to be removed from the material surface. During aircraft overhauls, the original paint coating on the skin surface needs to be removed to facilitate repainting. Rubber tire molds need to be regularly cleaned of attached rubber particles to ensure surface cleanliness, thereby ensuring the quality of produced tires and the lifespan of the molds. The damage threshold of metal materials is higher than the laser cleaning threshold of their surface contaminants. By selecting a laser with appropriate power, a good cleaning effect can be achieved, and it is already maturely applied in some fields.