There are several hazards associated with the mask aligner. The exposure lamp emits a high energy ultraviolet light which can cause severe eye damage and skin burns. Do not look directly at the UV lamp during exposure unless wearing the correct UV safety glasses. The UV lamp house door, bulb and sockets are extremely hot when the machine is on. Turn on the mask aligner at the power outlet and the air and nitrogen taps. The nitrogen is used to cool the UV lamp. Without cooling the lamp could explode and emit a poisonous gas. Check the pressure meter has a reading higher than 1.5 psi. To activate the mask aligner press on followed by CP then start. Allowing 5 seconds between each step. When the base panel shows 400 watts the electric control panel can be turned on and the on-screen instructions followed. Press load to start the machine and wait for the machine to initialize until the display shows ready to load. Then press change mask to insert the new mask. You can simply use a pre-made mask or if using a transparency mask adhere it to a glass plate using UV resistant tape making sure that the ink side is facing upwards. Enloading the mask into the mask holder ensure the dark side is facing upwards and it is aligned with the support pins. Press enter to activate the vacuum. Always make sure the vacuum is on when working with the mask. Release the spring clip to secure the mask in position on the holder. Load the mask holder into the machine by sliding it in carefully. Press change mask again to lock the mask holder into position. Check the exposure time by pressing edit parameters and make sure the time is set at 12 seconds. If not alter it by using the up and down arrows. When ready load the wafer into the machine by pressing load. Pull the wafer chuck towards you and place the wafer onto the chuck. Ensure the alignment of the wafer is correct by checking the positioning of the wafer flats. Be sure the orientation of the mask is correct for anisotropic substrates like lithium niobate. Then press enter. Use nitrogen to clean the wafer. Push the chuck back into the machine then press enter again. Wait until the display shows ready to align. To begin exposure press exposure and turn away from the machine. If you must look at the machine ensure you are wearing the UV protective goggles. Once complete the display will show slide chuck to remove wafer. Pull the chuck out and remove the wafer. When removing the mask press change mask which unlocks the mask holder. You can then unload the holder. Press enter to deactivate the vacuum. The display will show that the vacuum is off. Pull back the spring clip and remove the mask. Turn off the upper electric panel at the switch. Then press off on the lamp power supply. Be careful not to turn off the lamp directly after exposure. Wait for at least 10 minutes. In order to allow the system to cool down after operation run the nitrogen for an extra 15 minutes prior to turning off the main switches and gases.