Abstract

The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon and its ability in the detection of contamination on the surface of silver films are described. This nondestructive highly sensitive technique has recently been employed to detect the deposition and removal of glass particles, power particles, and a representative vegetable oil from silver films. The cleaning experiments compared the effects of isopropoyl alcohol and acetone and considered the effects of ultrasonic cleaning on contaminant removal and surface roughness. We have concluded that the SPR technique is not very sensitive to particles in the 30-50-µm range and that these particles are easily removed by a high-pressure nitrogen gas. As for oil, the contamination can be removed efficiently by acetone; ultrasonic agitation does clean more effectively.

© 1987 Optical Society of America