Witness to history
As CleanRooms magazine celebrates its 10-year anniversary this month, it seems appropriate to take a look back. We`ve come a long way from roots first planted in September 1987, and we`ve witnessed some groundbreaking events in that time, too.
Our mission as a magazine has evolved with the needs of our readers. We began as a source of information for employees working in cleanrooms. Over the years, we`ve prided ourselves on providing an educational forum for contamination control professionals in the semiconductor, electronics, pharmaceutical, biotech, food processing, and several other industries that employ contam ination control.
Our premiere issue in 1987 highlighted contamination control products only. In addition, that issue had only a splash of news about people and events. Since then, we`ve evolved into a magazine that features industry news and technical information with the goal of presenting information on all contamination control technologies and products — complementary and competing. For the next ten years, our goal is to continue to meet the needs of the contamination control professional.
As the magazine developed into a teaching tool for newcomers to the contamination control field, CleanRooms launched a technical conference and exhibition in 1990. The CleanRooms East show quickly became successful, and three years later, CleanRooms West was born. This year, in July, our newest show, CleanRooms Asia, debuted in Singapore, and in June 1998, CleanRooms Europe will be added to the lineup.
Witnessing history
It`s amazing to look back at the technology that has made cleanrooms and other contamination control technology possible. If you turn to page 17, you will find our contamination control timeline.
A team of scientists from Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, developed the first controlled environment, the laminar airflow concept, in 1962. With the first cleanroom on-line, an industry was born!
In 1963, the first Federal Standard 209 was instituted. Two years later, RCA completed a Class 100 room for building color television picture tubes.
After several revisions of 209, several contamination control societies, guidelines, products, mergers and acquisitions, the worldwide contamination control market is expected to top $7 billion this year. By 2000, the market is expected to expand to $12 billion, according to The McIlvaine Co., a market research firm in Northbrook, IL.
Today and tomorrow
This year, we`ve seen a milestone in the semiconductor industry — the move forward to 300 mm wafer production. In July, semiconductor manufacturing consortia reached an agreement for guiding equipment and material production at 300 mm. The transition to this new wafer size will cost $14 billion, but it will enable semiconductor manufacturers to cut costs by as much as 30 percent and produce 2.5 times the amount of chips possible at 200 mm.
In the move to 300 mm, minienvironments for process tools are playing a larger role. The minienvironment will be a star player in the years to come.
As the contamination control industry continues to unveil new technologies and meet new challenges, CleanRooms will be there to bring you continuous coverage of these events. Thank you for joining us in our 10-year anniversary celebration.