Laser cleaning of polymer surfaces

We have investigated the removal of small spherical particles from polymer surfaces by means of 193-nm ArF and 248-nm KrF laser light. Polystyrene (PS) particles with diameters in the range of 110 nm to 1700 nm and silica particles (SiO2) with sizes of 400 nm and 800 nm are successfully removed from two different substrates, polyimide (PI) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Experiments were performed in air (23 C, relative humidity 24--28%) and in an environment with a relative humidity (RH) of about 90%.