Viewport Cleaning
Safety Cover Cleaning
CAUTION: Never clean transparent polycarbonate safety cover with acetone, it will cloud the polymer insert. Use compressed air to remove dust, followed by a lint-free wipe soaked with optical-grade isopropanol or de-ionized water. For stubborn dirt, using de-ionized water with a little Dawn™ dish soap is the best method of cleaning the polycarbonate assembly.
UHV Viewport
Cleaning tools
Gloves – Protect optics from oils and moisture on your hands. Use cotton, nitrile, or powder-free latex gloves.
Compressed Air – Canned air lifts surface dust without contacting the viewport window.
Q-tips™ – Remove dirt without scratching the viewport window when wet with solvent.
Lens tissue – Wet with solvent, lens tissue wipes are gentle means to remove dust or contamination from the surfaces of viewport window without scratching.
Cleaning Solvents
Optical-grade isopropanol
Optical-grade acetone
De-ionized water
Cleaning Steps
The preliminary step to cleaning a UHV viewport window is inspection. Identifying the contaminated surface, locating the dirt, and identifying its nature is important for selecting the cleaning method. For example, it is best to remove dust with compressed air prior to cleaning an oily stain. Any attempt to remove the oil may result in scratching the window with an abrasive dust particle.
First, dirt particles should be removed with a clean compressed air source. If more cleaning is necessary, hold the demounted viewport with a gloved hand and apply a few drops of optical-grade isopropyl alcohol or optical-grade acetone.
Then, using a wet Q-tip or wet, folded lens tissue, pull the dirt away from the center, turning the viewport until clean. If the lens is still dirty, a mixture of de-ionized water and acetone or isopropanol can be used to gently wipe the atmosphere side of the viewport. Repeat the procedure with isopropanol or acetone until streak free.
Cleaning Procedures
Wear gloves or finger-cots.
Hold viewport without contacting window surfaces.
Do not use metal tools around or near the viewport window. Instead use plastic or wooden tools to clean viewport windows.
Never blow with your breath on the viewport. Saliva particles can permanently damage window surfaces.
Special Cleaning
For coated optics it is recommended that one use First Contact ™ www.photoniccleaning.com “Achieve Atomically Clean Optics with Ease”. From the vendor’s website:
Low Adhesion
First Contact is a non-toxic polymer system specially formulated to minimize surface adhesion: 1/20 the adhesion of Scotch tape.
Easy to Use
This one-part strip coating simplifies your cleaning process. First Contact ™ conforms to any contour. Just apply, dry, and peel to reveal the restored surface, which is now clean to the molecular level.
Protects Delicate Surfaces
Keeps optics safe from physical and chemical damage in use, storage, assembly, and shipping.