Cleaning Optics & Surface Defects

Cleaning Gratings

A diffraction gratings surface is very sensitive to pressure. Even the lightest brush can damage the surface and thus effect the performance of the grating. For these reasons you should never touch the surface of a grating, instead always wear glove and handle them by their edges.

It is possible to clean a grating surface using filtered air to clean dust from the grating surface. Spectrum Scientific can use a mild detergent to remove fingerprints and other materials from a grating. If you would like to have your gratings cleaned please contact our technical team.

Cleaning Mirrors

Dust can be removed from a mirror using compressed air. Replicated mirrors can be damaged by strong cleaning materials, such as acetone or methanol. It is not recommended you use either of these to clean your mirrors.

Grating Surface Defects

Surface defects come in two categories. The first is damage to the grating. These can cause the grating to diffract or not deflect properly. It can also cause large amounts of scattering. If your grating is underperforming it may have suffered damage from improper handling.

However, gratings will often exhibit cosmetic defects. These defects are visible to the human eye but usually do not affect the quality of the grating. They do not cause scattering and do not affect the performance of the grating.

If you are concerned about a surface defect in your grating please contact our technical team.