How to clean the optical surfaces of a refractive element for a near field optical scanning device, and a cleaning device for cleaning the optical surfaces of a refractive element for a near field optical scanning apparatus

摘要

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for cleaning the optical surfaces of a refractive element for a near field optical scanning apparatus. Magnetically susceptible cleaning material is used to facilitate effective cleaning of the refractive element without damaging the element. The method according to the present invention may be combined with known cleaning method if desired.