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ISO - International Organization
for Standardization

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About Clean Rooms and Cleanroom Design

Clean room usage in aerospace and microtechnology began in the early 1960’s, as the United States and other countries geared up for the “space race”. Rapid advancements were being made in the fields of technology and biochemistry as scientists and researchers began working on smaller and smaller levels. As a result scientists and manufacturers required more and more rigidly controlled working environments. These controlled work environments came to be known as “clean rooms”, rooms which are sealed off from any air outside and in which highly filtered air which falls in what is usually a laminar flow onto the working space below. All cleanroom supplies, persons, and equipment coming in and out of the room are tightly monitored and special clothing, mouth and head coverings are almost always required.

The key to “clean room” cleanliness is the number of air pollutants, or particles, in the air. Sterility is not usually a requirement, since the real concern when working on microscopic and nearly microscopic scales is the damage which can be done by particles such as dust, sand, or salt; bacteria, which are a concern for pharmacists in regards to consumers, and for microelectronics manufacturers because of the high ion content in bacteria which creates harmful static electricity; and humidity, which can change the consistency, electrical charge, and other properties of various substances. Most cleanroom standards focus on the elimination of particles 0.5 microns or larger, although some highly specialized industries are lowering maximum particle size allowed. As a comparison, a human hair is usually 100 microns in diameter, and humans shed dead skin cells at a rapid rate of 100,000 particles per minute standing still. This is why every item, article of clothing, and patch of exposed skin are carefully monitored in cleanroom facilities.

Clean room design ranges in size, material and level of cleanliness based on their purpose of use. Some cleanrooms used by manufacturers specializing in microelectronics, pharmaceutical products, or circuitry are as large as warehouses (often called “ballrooms”) and may keep a high classification of cleanliness. Other cleanrooms used by manufacturers such as special parts machinists, who only need cleanroom facilities for an occasional specialized assembly, may have small portable clean rooms the size of a large closet. Cleanrooms can have hard, usually glass or clear plastic walls, or soft walls made of flexible acrylic or similar material.

There are two separate standards of cleanliness classification. The first is FED standard 209, which classifies cleanroom air into four different classes: Class 100,000 has a particle count lower than 100,000 particles 0.5 micron or larger per cubic foot; Class 10,000 has a particle count lower than 10,000 per cubic foot; Class 1,000 does not exceed 1,000 particles per cubic foot; and Class 100, the highest classification in this standard, never exceeds 100 particles per cubic foot. The other recognized standard is the British Standard system which has four classifications based on cubic meters instead of feet, and all four levels are slightly stricter than the FED standards. Different levels are required by different industries and various products. The major industries that use cleanroom facilities at varying classifications are: chemical, printed circuit board, SMT, computer, silk screening, biomedical, electronics, disc memory, small parts machining & assembly, packaging, pharmaceutical, photographic, aerospace, nuclear, optical, hybrid, circuitry and microelectronics.

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Featured Articles

"E-Shaped Environments Include ISO Class 6, 7 Cleanrooms"
http://www.cleanroomswest.com/news_featured_CRW.asp

“How to Write a Specification For and Evaluate a Design/Build Cleanroom Proposal”
http://www.advancetecllc.com/industry_search.asp?article=1

Image Provided by Clean Rooms International, Inc.	Clean Rooms & Cleanrooms - Image Provided by American Cleanroom Systems

Types of Clean Rooms

• Ballrooms are large-scale cleanrooms.
  
• Cleanroom design refers to the type of design, including conventional, portable, hardwall modular, and softwall modular.
  
• Cleanroom supplies include products that aid in maintaining a sterile cleanroom.
  
• Cleanrooms are areas where air content is strictly controlled.
  
• Conventional cleanrooms are generally permanent cleanrooms and are the most common type.
  
• Laminar flow cleanrooms have filtration systems that control airflow and velocity to keep airborne particles from coming into contact with anything.
  
• Micro environments are clean areas constructed around the wafer itself or around a part of the wafer to protect it from atmospheric exposure.
  
• Mini environments are localized clean areas constructed around a specific tool or part to protect the wafer from atmospheric exposure.
  
• Modular cleanrooms are cleanrooms that are assembled on-site from pre-cut components (e.g. ceiling grid struts, walls, etc.).
  
• Portable clean rooms are transportable and self-contained.
  
• Softwall cleanrooms have walls constructed either of fabric stretched tightly over a frame or of free-hanging strips of fabric.

Ball Room Cleanroom	Conventional Constructed Cleanroom
Modular Cleanroom	Softwall Cleanroom
Images Provided by Pacific Environmental Technologies, Inc.