Are there risks in cleaning internal optics?
1. What are optical cleaning components?
Optical components are relatively precise components and must be placed in a clean environment when used to ensure normal use without errors. When the instrument is used for a long time, clean optical components such as laser mirrors, beams, laser crystals, and crystal crystals are required.
2. Why should we clean optical components?
(1) When a particle is deposited from circulating air, when components are touched with fingers during handling (which should of course be avoided), when smoke is burned by a strong optical laser beam and deposited on the surface. Combined with the intense laser beam, erasure and smearing can not only cause performance degradation, but even permanent damage to the optics in the event of such burning.
(2) Anyone who uses a microscope knows this. Optical components are an important part of a microscope. Also the optics are usually very clean for best viewing. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the optical components absolutely clean and perform regular cleaning work. This is especially the case for any components in interferometers and mirrors in laser resonators that are required. For example, even the smallest amount of residue in a fingerprint can be very harmful.
Be careful during the cleaning process as the optical components are delicate. It is easy to damage sensitive optical components if you are not careful during cleaning. For example, scratches from hard objects. Damage due to adverse reactions caused by contact with some solvents; for example, plastic optical components are easily damaged by acetone, while some hygroscopic crystalline materials may be damaged by contact with water.
3. How to avoid damaging optical components during cleaning
When optics such as mirrors are required, such as when unpacking and inserting the optic, or temporarily removing them for inspection and cleaning, it is recommended to use suitable gloves and only touch the edges around the element when replacing the optic. Certain optics, such as micro-optical types, require suitable handling tools such as vacuum pick-ups, soft-jaw pliers and sub-clamps, often made of soft materials (not metal) to minimize the risk of accidental damage such as scratches or tapping.
To store optics, wrap them in clean lens tissue or place them in a soft Pergamine bag before placing them in a suitable optical storage case, such as one equipped with soft foam. Of course, multiple optics in the box must be avoided from scratching each other.
