Cleanroom expert brings issue of human contamination control to life
By Tammy Wright
Editor`s Note: This is the third in a series of articles celebrating the accomplishments of the distinguished members of the CleanRooms Hall of Fame.
During a career that spanned more than three decades, Eric S. Burnett, Ph.D., made numerous contributions to the cleanroom industry. The retired environmental consultant is probably best known, however, for fostering and promoting a true understanding of the relevance of available testing in the fields of contamination control.
“Eric was able to educate the industry about what really matters to cleanrooms,” says Chuck Berndt, one of Dr. Burnett`s long-time professional associates and a current member of the Editorial Advisory Board for CleanRooms magazine. “He was able to sort out testing that was actually useful, such as particle counting and measuring static charge and ionic residuals. He also brought to life (the issue) of human-sourced contamination.”
Dr. Burnett`s work has had a far-reaching impact on many companies and industries. His professional career started at British Aerospace Corp. In 1963, he moved to RCA Astro-Electronics Division in New Jersey, where he was a section leader developing sensor systems for polar-orbit and geostationary meteorological satellites for NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Dr. Burnett went on to manage advanced manned spacecraft systems studies and sensor system integrations of earth-observation satellite programs at General Electric Co. He left that position in 1967 to join TRW Systems, Inc. where he again developed sensor systems for manned and unmanned spacecraft for NASA and the DOD.
In 1972, Dr. Burnett`s interests broadened. He began developing and installing air and water pollution control systems as an environmental engineer for Environmental Services, Inc. That position led him to Aratex Services, Inc., where he spent almost six years developing air and water pollution control systems and energy conservation systems, including a large-scale solar energy system. In 1990, Araclean Services hired him as a group technical services manager. In that role, he supervised the development and evaluation of new materials, instrumentation and cleaning processes for the microelectronics, pharmaceutical and bioengi neering industries.
In honor of his accomplishments, Dr. Burnett was inducted into the CleanRooms Hall of Fame in 1993. CR