Selective removal process for silicium contamination involves directing cold plasma jet containing fluorine onto surface being cleaned

摘要

The process removes contaminants (2) containing silicium from the surface of a thermally and mechanically sensitive surface of an optical element (1) made of or coated with a metal fluoride. At atmospheric pressure, a cold plasma jet (3) from a source (4) is applied to the surface being cleaned, where the contaminants are selectively removed by chemical reaction without affecting the metal fluoride surface or metal fluorides in the rest of the optical element.