Claims
- 1. A coating apparatus comprising:
- a source of liquid to be used for coating;
- a tube having a distinct length for directing a liquid along a flow path from the liquid source; and
- light guiding means coupled to a light source and attached to the tube along the length of the tube for illuminating the liquid along the length of the tube to illuminate contaminant particles carried by the liquid at multiple locations in the flow path along the length of the tube.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said light guiding means comprises an optical fiber.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said optical fiber is positioned inside said tube.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said tube includes a wall portion that permits transmission of light through the wall portion.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said optical fiber is positioned outside said tube.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the position of said optical fiber is adjustable along the length of the tube.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said optical fiber is positioned inside said tube.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said optical fiber is fabricated to radiate light from its sidewall.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said optical fiber comprises a fiber cladding and indices of refraction such as to allow light to penetrate radially outward through the fiber cladding.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said optical fiber includes no sharply bent portions.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said tube has a tube outlet from which said liquid can issue, the apparatus further comprising:
- a turntable that supports the workpiece, positioned so that the workpiece receives said liquid that issues from the tube outlet; and
- rotation means for rotating the turntable and the workpiece at a selected rotational velocity in a selected plane.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising liquid catcher means, positioned adjacent to said turntable, for receiving liquid that is received by, and thrown off from, said workpiece as said workpiece is rotated.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/902,119 filed Jun. 22, 1992, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
62-261031 |
Nov 1987 |
JPX |
63-37235 |
Feb 1988 |
JPX |
63-231243 |
Sep 1988 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
902119 |
Jun 1992 |
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