Issue

Airflow controlling apparatus; Welding process for sterile filling; Airflow rate regulator; Etch chamber cleaning method; and more.

How clean are your cleanroom walls? How clean should they be?
Is it a mark of quality for walls to be maintained in pristine condition, or should the walls function as "sorption pumps," silently, passively collecting particles? How frequently should your walls be cleaned?
With what techniques are they best cleaned?

Are wafer fabs a safe working environment? The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has formed an independent scientific panel of experts (including specialists in epidemiology, industrial hygiene, toxicology and occupational health), which will conduct a review of existing data on potential cancer risks in the chipmaking industry.

Regarding the recent editorial questioning the lack of interest in the ISO cleanroom standards ["Dirty little secret," CleanRooms, Jan. 2000, p.6] and the accompanying "Myth" column ["You're in trouble!," p.46], here's why the publication of ISO 14644-1 might not be the biggest news story of the year 2000.

I strongly endorse (albeit, belatedly) Bill Whyte's letter appearing in the August 1999 issue of CleanRooms, page 6. The word "particulates" should be relegated to the written and spoken trash-heap by professionals in our field.

I read the article discussing Robert Catone's work on cleanroom lighting ["Lighting designer says standards committees are in the dark," CleanRooms, January 2000, p. 4] in which he states that "there have not been any standards or recommended practices drafted on cleanroom lighting."

Concerning ISO cleanroom standards and this newsmagazine, it's time to fish or cut bait. Since our last issue hit the street, the editorial staff has been enlightened on the topic of why news of the ISO cleanroom standards has been received as such a nonissue among our readers.

MYTHS: 1) Positive pressure prevents airborne contamination from entering the cleanroom. 2) Cleanroom HEPA filters never need to be changed. 3) Air showers are 100 percent effective at removing contamination from personnel, equipment and supplies entering the cleanroom. They compensate for poor prep and gowning procedures. 4) The cleanroom will decontaminate itself. REALITY: Humans must constantly control the integrity of clean space.

Most improvements in life sciences technologies are incremental. Generally, they are achieved through the efforts of many people sharing their experiences, and this shared knowledge forms the building blocks that enable technology to advance.

A wealth of information on contamination control is just a few clicks and drags of a mouse away. In addition to publications and home pages, there are more and more search engines and auction sites cropping up, as well as new ways to take advantage of the Internet.

Reusing spent rinse water is one option for reducing the demand placed by a semiconductor manufacturing plant on a regional water supply. Water reuse is thus one strategy for expanding production at a site without obtaining an increased water allotment from the local community (see "Recycling spent rinse water," CleanRooms, February 2000, p. 8).

Cleanroom alternative is portable, expandable, operator compatible and cost effective

Static headspace system detects sources of AMC

The world's first high-volume production 300mm wafer fab has already been built ? on paper. It's a computer model of a factory churning out 20,000 300mm wafers a month, using a generic 180 nanometer linewidth process flow and standardized tool performance.

When Beverly, MA-based Eaton Semiconductor Operations, Industrial Design Corp. and Hodess Building Co. sat down in March of 1998 to create the blueprints for Eaton's cleanroom manufacturing space expansion, one of the primary objectives was to incorporate flexibly configured integration and test bays into the design.

PTFE filter; Leak tester; Filter modules; Clean bench; Data logger; and more.

In any application where contamination is critically important—such as life science, biomedical, pharmaceutical, parenteral drug, microelectronics, aerospace and precision manufacturing—pass-throughs and air showers are considered essential equipment.

ROME, NY ? Many contamination control practitioners want more than ISO 9000 certification.

DANBURY, CT—Officials at ATMI Inc. estimate savings of more than $100,000 per tool for semiconductor fabrication facilities after they adapt an exhaust reduction technology for chip processing equipment.

CORNING, NY—A sound analyzer readS 85 decibels on the A-scale [dB(A)] in typical heavy street traffic, while ring exhausts that pull particles, heat and fumes from Corning Inc.'s optical fibers register in excess of 88 dB(A) on the human ear-level equivalent.

SAN DIEGO— BLOOD CENters across America have embraced a screening test that is enabling them to detect contaminated donations earlier than ever, making the possibility of a zero-risk blood supply more of a reality.

BERKELEY, CA—Cleanroom operators plan to reap impressive energy and money savings once researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory complete their year-long program in benchmarking cleanroom energy use.

MILWAUKEE—An independent study that researchers spent two years designing and conducting has linked non-viable and microbial contamination found in operating rooms (ORs) to the use of disposable garments and high personnel traffic during surgical procedures.

BALTIMORE—As worker safety becomes a concern, is there a need for a cooperative effort between the cleanroom and safety industries to develop relevant guidelines and recommended practices?

Products focus on life sciences; Needle validation study; Investors acquire Cleanfilm; and more.