Issue

Port Washington, NY— Thomson Industries Inc. took a gamble. Without the promise of immediate return on investment, it became one of the first companies in its industry to test its products, and publish the particle emission results to customers and potential customers of its linear motion technology components and subsystems.

Eaton Semiconductor opened an 80,000-sq. ft. clean facility that will produce high energy, medium- to high-current ion implantation equipment using both Class 10,000 and a Class 1000 areas.

The PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology will publish a technical guide for evaluating, validating and implementing new microbiological testing methods for use in the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Universal Display opens flat panel display facility; Steris to produce Steris 20 concentrated sterilant in Australia; ST Microelectronics to use Extraction System filters in fab; and more.

SAN JOSE, CA—The last time Roger W. Welker gave his presentation on guidelines for the design and certification of tooling there were no such things as Class 10 or Class 1 cleanrooms.

ATLANTA, GA—Repeated outbreaks of deadly meat contamination spurred Georgia Tech Research Institute scientists to develop a sensor that quickly detects E. coli, salmonella and other foodborne pathogens.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — DR. Robert J. Mello will not stand for such horrific sounding microorganisms as anthrobacter globuformis and staphylococcus aureus in cleanrooms or non-classed areas.

DALLAS—Driven by increased competition and concurrent demand to maximize per-customer sales while minimizing shipping costs, many contamination control, disposable apparel suppliers are broadening their product lines.

TAIWAN—Taiwan's top two foundries are planning to invest a total of more than $4.6 billion on the island next year to upgrade and build several fabs, including two 300-mm facilities.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A few pharmaceutical companies have jumped behind the proverbial wheel of barrier isolation technology, but many clean space-dependent industries continue to kick the tires.

Cleanroom filter replacement device; Hand-washing and drying apparatus; Boot with anti-static upper; and more.

I just finished reading the Special Report, "Training for perfection" [CleanRooms, December 1999, page 17]...

What's so great about a garment supplier expanding its product line? Or a patent issued for an antistatic boot? On the surface, and in the business world at large, such happenings may appear to warrant only casual notice. Yet both appear within these pages this month, one of them on page 1.

Myth: US Federal Standard 209E is sacrosanct. It should be left alone.
Reality: US Federal Standard 209E is obsolete. It should be sunset. I was taught never to use a word without fully understanding its meaning. Therefore, offered for clarity, is the Webster's Dictionary definition of sacrosanct: "most sacred; inviolable ...."

Parenteral products are to be terminally sterilized if the product is robust enough to tolerate the sterilization process, per FDA requirements.

Ultrapure water (UPW) is a key process fluid in cleanrooms used to manufacture semiconductor (and other precision) products.

Airlocks help maintain air pressurization differentials and directional air flow between adjacent areas when personnel or equipment pass between them.

For cleanrooms and contamination control, the push into liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) microdisplays presents challenges that are similar to those found in IC or liquid crystal display (LCD) manufacturing.

Cleanroom slated for Class 100,000 status gets bumped to 10,000 after five months of production

Disposable gas filter; Chemical process station; HCl purifier; CO₂ measurement device; and more.

As with most equipment used in a cleanroom environment, the choice of workstation depends on the process for which it is intended.