- Address 60 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
- E-mail contact@cygnusphoton.com
- Phone (217)991-8416
Faqs
Do You Have Any Questions
It depends on the sample and the desired goals. The most common form of sample test is ablation testing. Since 172nm light breaks most polymer bonds, our light source has many potential cleaning applications. Send us one or a few samples, and we will expose them to 172nm light for various doses. We will photograph or micrograph the progress, and share the results in a presentation. We can characterize beyond a micrograph, but the most important analysis is your own. Once you get the samples back, characterize them and let us know what you think
There is no power control knob, but the intensity of the light is distance dependent. Set the lamp further away from the sample to reduce intensity
It does, but the transmission distance is short. 172nm photons are absorbed quickly by oxygen and form ozone in air. In order to transmit from the light source to the sample, gaseous nitrogen purges the space between the light and the sample. However, you can also bleed in air or cycle the nitrogen on/off to intentionally expose your sample to ozone
It depends on the application, and lasers might be better in some situations. The Cygnus 172nm light source is ~20% power efficient, compact, air (not liquid) cooled, no maintenance between bulb changes (>3000hrs on-time), and low cost. Additionally, the 172nm photons created by the Cygnus light source react photochemically with the material and not thermally, which means heat won’t damage the surface or cause defects. However, if you want to do thermal + photochemical ablation, lasers are a better choice for 172nm photons
Photo ablation of polymers is our primary area of interest. However, the future of 172nm is a diamond in the rough, photochemistry. The limits of 172nm for photochemistry applications are yet to be explored. Surface activation and in-situ gas and liquid phase chemical reactions resulting from 172nm photon photochemical reactions have incredible potential. We have learned of a few exciting applications we haven’t published. One publication in review is to grow glass at room temperature in a nitrogen environment using 172nm photons and TEOS. It forms a nicely uniform glass with properties similar to thermal oxide. But this is only one potential chemistry that’s ground breaking. Only time will tell
The lamp has a fantastic 3000hr guaranteed life. If you run 30-second surface activations, that’s over 180,000 surface activations under guarantee. The lamp will likely last much longer than that, but the bulb can be replaced any-time for a nominal fee by sending the unit back to Cygnus Photonics
Yes! The tool comes with an input to turn the lamp on and off for software controlled processing
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