High-efficiency removal of fine particles deposited on a solid surface

New methods have been developed for removal of surface deposited particles based on a high-speed air jet. One of the newly developed methods utilized pre-charging of the surface by a needle-like electrode. It was confirmed that the method was effective for removal of particles for both glass and copper surfaces. Also, it was revealed that agglomeration of particles was induced on the surface through pre-charging, i.e. spherical agglomerated particles were formed on the glass surface and layered agglomerates were formed on the copper surface. Agglomeration enhanced particle removal through the increase in the removal force given by the air flow. Vibrating air jet removal, which is another method tested, was also effective for fine particle removal. The removal efficiency was further improved by using both pre-charging and the vibrating air jet, achieving almost 90% for 1 μm particles.