The Particle Cleanliness Validation System

The Particle Cleanliness Validation System (PCVS) is a combination of a surface particle collection tool and a microscope based data, reduction system for determining the particle cleanliness of mechanical and optical surfaces at LLNL. Livermore is currently constructing the National Ignition Facility (NIF), a large 192 beam laser system for studying fusion physics. The laser is entirely enclosed. in aluminum and stainless steel vessels containing several environments; air, argon, and vacuum. It contains uncoated optics as well as hard dielectric coated and softer solgel coated optics which are, to varying degrees, sensitive to opaque particles, translucent particles, and molecular contamination. To quantify the particulate matter on structural surfaces during vendor cleaning and installation, a novel instrument has been developed to-both collect surface particles and to quantify the number and size distribution of these particles. The particles are collected on membrane filter paper which is ''swiped'' on a test surface for a proscribed distance to collect sufficient particles to significantly exceed the cleanliness of the filter paper. The swipe paper is then placed into a cassette for protection from further. contamination and transported to a microscope with x-y motorized stage and image analysis software, The surface of the swipe paper is scanned to determine both the background particle level of the paper, the cassette cover, and the portion of the paper which made contact with the test surface. The cumulative size distribution of the collected particles are displayed in size bins from 5 to 200 {micro}m. The quantity of particles exceeding 5 {micro}m is used to compute the IEST-STD-1246D cleanliness Level. Eight image analysis microscopes have been constructed for use with several dozen particle collection tools. About 30,000 cleanliness measurements have been taken to assure the clean construction and operation of the NIF laser system