Institute Science and Technology of Accelerating Systems

Cleanroom

In accelerator physics research, the cleanroom is used to carry out assembly, maintenance and testing of sensitive components in a contamination-free environment. This environment is crucial, as even the smallest impurities affect the performance and accuracy of experiments. Special air filtration systems are used in the cleanroom to remove dust and particles. It is important to maintain a constant temperature and humidity.

At the HZB, cavities and vacuum components are primarily cleaned in the clean room under a particle-free atmosphere.

Cavity cleaning

Cavities are cleaned in several steps:

1. Preparation: first, the cavities are cleaned of coarse impurities, preferably by dry ice cleaning or mechanical wiping.

2. Ultrasonic cleaning: The cavities are cleaned in an ultrasonic bath. The ultrasonic waves generate microbubbles that loosen dirt and impurities from the surface of the cavities.

3. Rinsing: After pre-cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning, the cavities are thoroughly rinsed with deionized water to remove all cleaning agent residues.

4. High-pressure rinsing: If the performance is insufficient, cavities are cleaned from the inside on a high-pressure rinser.

5. Drying: In the final step, the cavities are dried in the clean room to ensure that no moisture remains that could lead to corrosion or other problems.