Optical Lens Cleaning

Precision cleaning of optical surfaces is an essential and critical step in the production of high-quality optical components. Any evidence of particulate matter, film, or water spotting will cause irregularities on the optical surface, leading to improper adhesion of thin-film coatings and rejection of the finished product. Stacking wax and mounting pitch, cerium oxide residue, lacquers, glass fines, grinding coolant, fingerprints, and airborne dust and dirt particles can all accumulate on the optical surface at various stages, necessitating techniques throughout the manufacturing process to safely remove the contamination. Branson has developed and proven a specific aqueous cleaning process to produce glass lenses cleaned to the critical levels required for subsequent coating operations. Aqueous chemistries for optics are inorganically-based and either emulsify, disperse, or solvate soils in liquid. These chemistries are concentrated formulas that are environmentally acceptable replacements for cleaning optical lenses. The addition of ultrasonics provides increased cleaning efficiency to remove heavy or tenacious organic soils.