Cleaning and surface properties

Principles of the precision cleaning dedicated to ultra-high vacuum applications are reviewed together with the techniques for the evaluation of surface cleanliness. Methods to verify the effectiveness of cleaning procedures are addressed. Examples are presented to illustrate the influence of packaging and storage on the recontamination of the surface after cleaning. Finally, the effect of contamination on some relevant surface properties, such as secondary electron emission and wettability, is presented. This article is an updated and shortened version of the one previously published for the CAS school on the vacuum of accelerators 2006.