FEASIBILITY STUDIES ON APPLYING UV-LASERS FOR THE REMOVAL OF SUPERFICIAL DEPOSITS FROM HISTORIC GLASS.

Feasibility studies on applying laser radiation for the removal of superficial deposits from historic glass are being carried out within a three-year interdisciplinary project in Germany. Previous investigations revealed that there is insufficient knowledge about interaction processes between UV-laser radiation and individual surface layers of encrusted historic glass. therefore, detailed studies were first carried out on special model glass samples to simulate different stages in the corrosion of historic glass. The potential of UV-lasers for removing crusts and biolayers, as well as layers of various conservation materials (due to previous conservation work) is examined. It is of great importance to avoid damage to materials such as gel layers, paint layers or the glass itself. A KrF-excimer laser operating at λ = 248nm is used for the experiments. A mask projection technique is applied for irradiation. A modified optical set-up has been designed, using cylindrical lenses for large-area removal by 'line scanning'. Removal rates and thresholds for the materials mentioned above are monitored. The collected date enable comparison and evaluation of the feasibility of removing superficial layers from historic glass artifacts. The results indicate that in some cases a closed loop process control will be necessary to avoid over-cleaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]