Patent ID: 7922925

Claim:
A process for removing a coating from coated substrates, while preparing the substrates for subsequent uses in which a surface of the substrate that has been at least partially freed of coating is required, comprising the steps of: arranging a plurality of nozzles, at least one of which is slit shaped, to direct a plasma onto a region of the surface of a substrate from which a coating is to be removed; adjusting the at least one slit shaped nozzle from one orientation to another orientation to set the direction of elongation of the slit to a certain orientation direction on the surface of the substrate; directing a plasma onto the region of the surface of the substrate from which a coating is to be removed with the at least one slit shaped nozzle set such that the direction of elongation of the slit has the certain orientation direction on the surface of the substrate; and producing a linear relative movement in a certain direction between the nozzles, including the at least one slit shaped nozzle set such that the direction of elongation of the slit has the certain orientation direction on the surface of the substrate, and the substrate to thereby remove a coating from the substrate over a width/area determined by an angle of the certain orientation of the least one of the slit shaped nozzles relative to the certain direction of the relative movement; and controlling the plasma to remove the coating to a desired depth.