Surface Cleaning Method and Apparatus Using Surface Acoustic Wave Devices
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- providing an array of surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducers;
positioning the array of SAW transducers within an effective cleaning distance of a target surface;
coupling the array of SAW transducers to the target surface via a cleaning liquid; and
directly exciting a particles on the target surface with acoustic waves at one or more frequencies in the range of 1 Megahertz to 10 Gigahertz from the array of SAW transducers.
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Abstract
An apparatus, system, and method for cleaning surfaces is presented. One embodiment of the system includes an array of surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducers coupled to a substrate. The system may include a positioning mechanism coupled to at least one of a target surface or the array of SAW transducers, and configured to position the array of SAW transducers within an effective cleaning distance of a target surface. The system may also include a cleaning liquid supply arranged to provide cleaning liquid for coupling the array of SAW transducers to the target surface. The system may further include a controller coupled to the array of SAW transducers and configured to activate the array of SAW transducers. At least one of the SAW transducers may be formed to focus cleaning liquid on a focal point and jet cleaning liquid in a direction substantially out of the place of the SAW transducer.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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providing an array of surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducers; positioning the array of SAW transducers within an effective cleaning distance of a target surface; coupling the array of SAW transducers to the target surface via a cleaning liquid; and directly exciting a particles on the target surface with acoustic waves at one or more frequencies in the range of 1 Megahertz to 10 Gigahertz from the array of SAW transducers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system comprising:
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an array of surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducers; a positioning mechanism coupled to at least one of a target surface and the array of SAW transducers and configured to position the array of SAW transducers within an effective cleaning distance of the target surface; a cleaning liquid supply arranged to provide cleaning liquid for coupling the array of SAW transducers to the target surface; and a controller coupled to the array of SAW transducers and configured to activate the array of SAW transducers. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus comprising:
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a substrate; an array of surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducers coupled to the substrate; and a cleaning liquid supply arranged to provide a cleaning liquid to couple the array of SAW transducers to a target surface. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification