March 9, 2022, Online 6:30 pm PDT
OSSC Online Meeting
Cleaner than a Cleanroom: Filling Technology Gaps for
Space Telescopes and LIGO - First Contact Polymers as a Path Towards Atomic Cleanliness
Dr. James Hamilton
Professor, Chemistry Department, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
CEO, Photonic Cleaning Solutions
Agenda and Registration
Wednesday, March 9th, 2022
Prior Registration Required
Login Credentials emailed on March 9.
Attendee Logon: 6:30pm
7:00pm –7:15pm OSSC President Opens Meeting & Speaker Introduction
7:15pm—8:15 Professor Hamilton Presentation
8:15pm--8:45pm Q & A
9:00pm Meeting Closes
Download Flyer
On-Line Registration Closes March 8, 2022
Abstract: Creating and maintaining unprecedented cleanliness levels has become a limiting technological requirement for projects like LIGO and future starshade technology for NASA’s Great Observatories of the future. Over the last 20 years, we have developed a family of peelable residue-free, non-tearing polymer coatings that safely clean and protect surfaces. These Apply-Dry-Peel coatings begin to fill the technology gap that exists in a) trying to clean historically uncleanable nanostructured and coated surfaces as well as in b) meeting the zero dust tolerance requirements of high energy laser optics and some semiconductor processes. Our novel, residueless polymeric stripcoatings are applied as a liquid and subsequently peeled off the substrate as a solid, strong, non-tearing film. These novel polymer blend stripcoatings safely clean and protect a wide variety of nanostructured surfaces and leave the surface almost atomically clean and “space ready.” Contaminant removal was monitored by various techniques, including Nomarski Microscopy, BRDF, Atomic Force and Scanning Electron Microscopy, and XPS and Auger spectroscopy.
About our speaker: Wisconsin Distinguished Professor, James P. Hamilton founded two companies, is the Director of the UW System NCCRD Nano Research Center, and is in the Chemistry department at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. His research on precision contamination control in aerospace, photonic and astronomical optics has brought him to the summits of most of the large telescope sites in the world, including Hawaii, the Canary Islands, and China. Recent efforts for NASA on an $875k SBIR research contract have led to new planetary protection research involving deep space missions and telescopes. Following a B.A. and graduate work at the University of Maine-Orono in chemistry, he completed a Ph.D. at UW-Madison in physical & analytical chemistry specializing in atomic, molecular and optical physics. His research specializes in instrumentation development, nanoparticle thermodynamics, and nanocomposite materials. He enjoys scuba diving, sailing, skiing, hiking, and fly fishing.