The Value of Starting Small: Designing a Cleanroom to Grow With You

The Value of Starting Small: Designing a Cleanroom to Grow With You

by | Jul 13, 2021 | Cleanroom Design

If your project needs are subject to change, how do you design a cleanroom that can meet your current and future needs? While it might seem like a good idea to build the most advanced cleanroom right away, it’s generally wiser to start small and upgrade your cleanroom over time if you need to reach a higher level of cleanliness later on. This cleanroom design approach can save energy and lower operational costs — making your work more sustainable and profitable.

Let’s discuss why starting your cleanroom design small can help you meet your current cleanroom classification, easily reach future project goals, and save your facility money in the long run.

Why Start Your Cleanroom Design Small?

If you know your cleanroom will need to meet a more stringent classification standard than required for your current project, you might be wondering, why not build a cleanroom that meets the lowest ISO level I’ll need? 

The extra cushion can ensure that you’re always meeting your cleanliness requirements — but it might not be the smartest choice for your facility, or your budget. Here are three reasons to why starting your cleanroom design small, with the least stringent ISO level, is the smarter choice:

You Can Always Upgrade to a New Cleanroom Classification 

By designing your cleanroom to meet the less stringent requirements, your space will be particularly suited to your initial project. When it’s time to change gears, a cleanroom redesign gives you the chance to assess each system and cleanroom component to see if it’s working for the new purpose of the room. So, while you’re adding more filtration, you can also assess if the layout, equipment, and other special features of your cleanroom are ideally suited for your new project and purpose.

Keeping your cleanroom running at the lower level of cleanliness saves energy and puts less stress on your cleanroom systems, so they can continue to work effectively — and last longer.

Modular Cleanroom Construction is Easily Adaptable

Modular cleanrooms are easy to adapt to fit new project needs. You can expand, condense, or reconfigure wall panels to meet new requirements, accommodate new equipment or a new cleanroom layout.

When it’s eventually time to upgrade, just add more wall panels, modular FFUs, and lighting, and update your airflow pattern to treat the increased volume of air. An experienced cleanroom engineer can help you do this by utilizing your existing space and systems, saving your facility money.

Energy Efficient Cleanroom Design Can Save Your Facility Money

The most important reason you may want to start your cleanroom design small is to reign in your energy usage to make the cleanroom more efficient.

An ISO Class 5 cleanroom requires significantly more power to maintain a controlled environment than an ISO 7 or 8 cleanroom — from the filtering power of your fan filter units to the constant treatment of air by the cleanroom HVAC system, to the flow-through lighting used to illuminate every inch of the space.

By designing your cleanroom to meet the least stringent standard (highest ISO class) you need, you can use less energy and your cleanroom systems don’t need to work as hard to meet air quality requirements, which can save your facility a significant amount of money in daily operating costs.

How to Design a Cleanroom that Grows With You

Start with the basics. Design your cleanroom to meet your needs now, and it will be easy to adapt it in the future if your needs change.

Always Start with Your Cleanroom Classification

Your first priority is always to meet your cleanroom classification requirements. Examine your cleanroom classification for the current project, paying special attention to these three areas. 

  • Allowed particles by number and size
  • Air changes per hour or airflow velocity
  • Percentage of ceiling coverage of fan filter units

From there, you can add and adjust systems in your cleanroom that will effectively reach these levels. If you need to reach more stringent requirements down the road, you’ll want to consider how these three areas can be adjusted by adding more FFUs, upgrading your HVAC system, and so on.

Design a Cleanroom Layout That Can Be Expanded

When designing your cleanroom layout, consider starting with a smaller space to save energy in treating the air for temperature, humidity, and filtration. With less cleanroom to deal with, it will be easier to maintain your cleanroom classification. There’s also less to keep clean — which means less work and maintenance for your staff and systems.

Design your cleanroom in a way that it’s easy to expand. Note areas where you can easily add filtration support or extend walls to create space for more furniture or equipment.

Adapt Your Cleanroom Systems As Needed

Be aware that, if you upgrade your cleanroom, your cleanroom systems may need to adapt to meet a new ISO classification. This could mean a more powerful HVAC to offset the heating of the space from additional equipment, more FFUs to deliver filtered air uniformly throughout the space, or powerful but efficient lighting systems to reach expanded areas.

Every part of your current cleanroom design should be able to serve any new projects — or, be easily upgraded to meet your new requirements with optimal efficiency.

Work with Cleanroom Engineering Experts 

The best way to ensure your cleanroom design can grow with you, is to work with cleanroom experts. Angstrom Technology has the experience to handle your initial cleanroom design and any redesign projects with ease. Our experts will assess your current cleanroom needs and discuss your project goals to help you get the exact cleanroom you need — that works for your new requirements and your budget now, and in the future.

Ready to design an efficient cleanroom that will grow with you? Give Angstrom Technology a call.

The Value of Cleanrooms for Semiconductor Applications

The Value of Cleanrooms for Semiconductor Applications

by | Jul 6, 2021 | Cleanroom Installation

Semiconductors are an essential part of almost every electronic device we rely on in the modern world: computers, cell phones, vehicles, microwaves, washing machines — the list goes on. When there are shortages due to a lack of material or slow production, that delay is felt up the supply chain by every consumer who’s buying a new phone, renting a vehicle, you name it.

In recent years, Americans have felt that pain. Fortunately, the CHIPS and Science Act that was passed in August 2022 will help put those shortages to an end — as it provided over $50 billion in funding for semiconductor manufacturing here in the States.

But that’s not the only factor that will help get new cars back on sales lots and lower the costs of a new iPhone. We must also ensure that semiconductor chip manufacturers are equipped with expertly designed, highly controlled cleanrooms for safe and efficient production.

The Value of Semiconductor Cleanrooms 

A cleanroom is an enclosed space where contaminant airborne particles are filtered out and other environmental conditions are controlled in order to ensure the cleanest work area possible. For better results in semiconductor manufacturing and assembly, cleanrooms can provide the best environment for productive, efficient, and safe work to take place. 

Semiconductor manufacturing is an incredibly intricate process as semiconductor materials are highly susceptible to damage from environmental factors like:

  • Airborne particles (even the smallest speck of dust can be detrimental!)
  • Static
  • Temperature
  • Humidity
  • Air pressure
  • Equipment outgassing

In fact, semiconductor manufacturing is a cleanroom application that requires one of the highest levels of environmental control. In most cases, semiconductor cleanrooms must comply with ISO Class 4-6 requirements. However, not all processes need this level of control. The packaging, assembly, and testing of circuits or chips could be performed in ISO class 7 or ISO class 8 cleanrooms.

A cleanroom is truly the only space a semiconductor can be safely handled before it’s installed in its intended device. If exposed to any of the threats listed above, semiconductor materials will be ruined, and you’ll suffer the consequences of product failures and production downtime.

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Reliable Control

Cleanrooms are designed to establish strict control over the environment and maintain that control at all times. With powerful filtration and HVAC systems working to replace the air with clean, treated, and virtually particle-free air, you can trust the environment to remain stable while employees are completing their sensitive work.

All materials used in cleanroom construction are specifically sourced to be non-particle shedding and non outgassing. They’re chosen for durability and performance in any conditions. They won’t degrade or corrode due to cleaning, impact, or regular use.

Consistent Product Quality

Silicon wafers are extremely vulnerable, where even a single particle of dust can corrupt an entire chip or device. When you can rely on steady temperature, relative humidity, and air quality levels, product quality can also remain steady, even increase. 

Repeatable Results

A repeatable environment produces a better yield of quality products. Scaling production is a matter of replicating the conditions required to produce excellent quality semiconductors.

Safer Working Conditions

A cleanroom and its classification standards protect the products being manufactured from failure due to contamination, but they also create a safer environment for workers to perform tasks in semiconductor cleanrooms, which can involve handling toxic materials and highly sensitive processes.

Cost Savings

Ultimately, fewer product failures and consistent quality pays off. With the risk of losses and injury reduced, your company can enjoy significant savings. 

Semiconductor cleanrooms are not cheap to implement and operate, but they can secure profitability in ways you can’t replicate with other control methods. A high-quality cleanroom can streamline semiconductor manufacturing. 

To learn more about semiconductor cleanrooms and get help designing your own, contact the cleanroom experts at Angstrom Technology. We design, build, and install cleanrooms for a wide variety of industries to meet any classification standard. Our cleanrooms are the turnkey solution you’ve been looking for. Get a free quote for your project today.

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5 Benefits of Seamless Cleanroom Design

5 Benefits of Seamless Cleanroom Design

by | Jun 23, 2021 | Cleanroom Design

Seamless cleanroom design offers many advantages, including modular construction, easy maintenance, supreme durability, and more. Let’s take a look at 5 ways this type of cleanroom design can offer improved performance for any industry. 

 

What is Seamless Cleanroom Design?

 

Seamless cleanrooms are a type of modular construction that prioritizes smooth, sleek panels for aesthetic and performance. This construction allows cleanroom systems to work at peak efficiency to change the air and remove particles.

They can be fully customized to any application and built within a facility’s existing structure, making them a great cleanroom design option for virtually any ISO class or application. 

 

5 Benefits of Seamless Cleanroom Design

 

Seamless cleanrooms have unique strengths and capabilities that make them the ideal choice. 

 

#1 Modular Construction is a Turnkey Solution

 

Seamless cleanrooms use modular construction, where the highly customized panels are designed and fabricated offsite, so they can be put together quickly. From cleanroom design to installation, they can be up and running faster than traditional construction, making them the perfect turnkey solution for many projects.

These cleanrooms can be built in virtually any space, and their unique design means they can be easily adapted and modified, even after installation. 

 

#2 Seamless Cleanrooms are Easy to Maintain

 

Seamless cleanroom design aims to minimize surfaces where particles can collect. This means your cleanroom systems don’t have to work as hard to meet cleanliness requirements, making for a more efficient operation.

Seamless cleanrooms are also easy to clean. The panels are resistant to chemicals and solvents, so they won’t shed particles or corrode, even under regular, thorough cleaning.

 

#3 Durable Cleanroom Design is Built to Last

 

Seamless panels are impact resistant, built to withstand rigorous cleaning and day-to-day wear — without shedding particles or outgassing. For a long-lasting solution, seamless cleanroom design provides the best environment for virtually any application.

 

#4 Full Integration With Your Cleanroom Trades and Systems

 

Your seamless cleanroom includes integration with your cleanroom systems and trades, such as cleanroom HVAC, filtration, lighting, and more. It can be installed in your existing structure and outfitted with all the special features you need to make your project a success.

 

#5 Custom Cleanroom Design for Any Application

 

Seamless cleanroom solutions are fully customizable and can be built to any cleanroom classification, which makes them an ideal choice for a wide range of applications.

Many applications use seamless cleanrooms to achieve and maintain aseptic conditions, such as semiconductor production, pharmaceutical development, and medical device manufacturing and packaging.

 

Seamless Cleanroom Design Solutions

If you think a seamless solution would be right for you, get in touch with the cleanroom design experts at Angstrom Technology. Our engineers can design and install a seamless solution that meets all your requirements and design considerations. Speak with one of our cleanroom engineers to get started.

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Turnkey vs Non-Turnkey Cleanroom Construction

Turnkey vs Non-Turnkey Cleanroom Construction

by | Jun 16, 2021 | Cleanroom Design, Cleanroom Installation

Building a new cleanroom is a highly individual process, as it must be tailored to each facility’s needs and cleanroom classification. And this process of customization takes time. While modular construction with prefabricated panels can shorten the lead time of your project, the more “custom” your cleanroom is, generally the more time and money that must go into it.

If you need a complete and custom cleanroom that’s ready for immediate use, a turnkey cleanroom may be the ideal solution for you. Let’s explore the differences between the turnkey vs. non-turnkey cleanroom construction process to see which may serve your project needs better, be produced faster, and offer better value for your investment.

What’s the Difference Between Turnkey vs. Non-Turnkey Cleanroom Construction?

The way you move through this process of designing and installing the ideal cleanroom is significantly different if you choose a turnkey vs. non-turnkey cleanroom construction.

Non-turnkey construction refers to the practice of building a cleanroom step by step, where every component is installed separately, often by different contractors and experts, until the finished cleanroom takes shape.

Turnkey cleanroom solutions are facilitated by one party. The entire project is managed in-house, from planning and design through cleanroom construction and installation. You order the specialized cleanroom you need, and the complete solution is delivered and ready to use.

To break this down a bit further, let’s look into what you can expect with turnkey cleanroom construction vs. non-turnkey construction.

Turnkey vs. Non-Turnkey Cleanroom Construction

Turnkey solutions are a great way to get a highly specialized cleanroom — and save your company money and time. Non-turnkey cleanrooms require you to be more involved in the design and implementation, which has its own pros and cons. 

Here’s what you can expect from turnkey vs. non-turnkey cleanroom construction:

Turnkey Cleanroom Solutions

You can save more than just time by finding a turnkey cleanroom solution versus going the traditional route.

Simplified Cleanroom Construction

Turnkey cleanrooms are an end-to-end solution. A thorough planning stage ensures the finished product will be perfectly suited to your project needs. One facilitator for your project, a cleanroom expert, will take time to understand your project goals, cleanroom classification standard, and any wants and needs you may have for your cleanroom.

Highly Customized Cleanroom Solution

Experts handle the entire project from start to finish. They’ll use the highest quality materials for durability and performance, using subcontractors they trust to ensure a seamless finished project that includes all the trades and features you need. 

Expert Advice and Service

Even though your project is managed by someone else, it’s easy to customize your cleanroom to be exactly what you need. Cleanroom experts will take you through the process so you can be as involved with as many design decisions as you want.

Since these experts will understand your cleanroom inside and out, they’ll be the best resource if there’s ever a problem. For regular maintenance to repair, your turnkey cleanroom provider will be able to help you figure out what you need and solve any problems quickly and efficiently.

Accurate Budget and Timeline Estimate

Part of the project plan will be to estimate the budget and timeline of your project, and you can trust your cleanroom engineer to stick to it. This means a turnkey cleanroom can often be completed faster than in the non-turnkey cleanroom construction process.

When you choose a turnkey solution, you can entrust the process to experts and expect the complete cleanroom delivered exactly how and when you need it.

Non-Turnkey Cleanroom Construction

Non-turnkey cleanroom construction may take time, but if you’d prefer to handle all of the details yourself, it offers you more control over the final product.

Burden of Responsibility

With non-turnkey cleanroom construction, the party responsible for understanding the project inside and out — is you. If you know a lot about cleanroom design already, you may feel prepared to make all of the decisions for what materials to use and how to install them. 

You’ll likely gather great advice from the contractors and designers you work with, but this could also lead to differing opinions and an overwhelm of information.

Complete and Manual Customization

One advantage of non-turnkey construction is that all the customizations are entirely in your hands, but you’ll be responsible for doing thorough research to find out what’s possible and cost-effective. You’ll be in charge of locating experts for each component of the cleanroom, and have to trust they can integrate each system with other parts of the project. 

Complicated Maintenance and Repair

If something goes wrong with your cleanroom, you’ll have to track down the right person for the job — and if you don’t fully understand the problem, it could take more time and money to find a technician with the right experience.

Extended Timeline and Budget

Non-turnkey cleanroom construction has a tendency to extend longer than expected because it requires coordination across many schedules, waiting time for material availability, and additional time for product research. 

For these reasons, non-turnkey construction is more challenging to confine to a strict budget — both monetarily and temporally — as working with different contractors, products, and vendors are variables not easily defined.

Is a Turnkey Cleanroom Solution Right for You?

Whether you’re starting from scratch with a brand new cleanroom or need to upgrade or redesign an existing one, a turnkey cleanroom could offer your facility some serious advantages. A turnkey cleanroom solution may be right for you if:

  • You need a ready-to-use cleanroom for your project on an accelerated timeline
  • You need a cleanroom that is easily adaptable for future projects
  • You need a highly specialized cleanroom to meet ISO Class 5 or cleaner standards
  • You need to redesign a cleanroom to meet more stringent ISO standards
  • You need a cleanroom designed and built to meet specific budget requirements

Angstrom Technology is a leader in the modular cleanroom industry. Whatever the size and classification of your project, we can deliver the turnkey cleanroom that fits your specifications and exceeds your expectations. Reach out to our team to get started today.

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4 Biggest Threats to Semiconductor Cleanrooms

4 Biggest Threats to Semiconductor Cleanrooms

by | Jun 9, 2021 | Cleanrooms

To ensure the highest levels of quality, safety, and repeatability in semiconductor chips and the devices they’re installed in, semiconductor manufacturers must carry out processes in a controlled cleanroom environment. But while the right cleanroom can achieve this control and minimize risks, there are still a number of potential threats to be mindful of. 

Let’s take a look at some potential threats to semiconductor cleanrooms in the manufacturing process, as well as how to design a cleanroom that defends against them all. 

Why Do I Need a Semiconductor Cleanroom?

Semiconductors are highly sensitive materials, vulnerable to even the tiniest speck of dust or the slightest increase in temperature. Therefore, any task that involves the production, manipulation, installation, or packaging of semiconductors must be done carefully in a cleanroom. The value of cleanrooms for semiconductor applications is indisputable. 

If not handled properly in a controlled environment, semiconductors and the devices they’re installed in can easily face product failure — which can lead to disastrous consequences depending on the type of product in question.

4 Biggest Threats to Safe Semiconductor Manufacturing

Particulate matter, static electricity, humidity, and outgassing. Although they may seem relatively low-risk when encountered in day-to-day life, these environmental conditions can pose significant threats to semiconductor manufacturing. These threats can go on to harm workplace productivity, disrupt the quality of end products, and endanger the safety of workers and consumers alike. 

Here’s some more guidance on the damage these factors can cause, as well as how to prevent it. 

1. Particulate Matter in the Semiconductor Cleanroom

Just like with any other cleanroom, particulate matter poses an incredible risk to semiconductor applications. This can include airborne particles like dust, viruses, and bacteria — but one of the most common threats here is human contamination. It’s also one of the most difficult to control.

Things like shedding skin cells, breaking fingernails, and coughing can all disrupt the semiconductor manufacturing process. Cleanroom operator gowns, gloves, and other PPE work to protect semiconductor processes from the human element, but they also protect workers from dangers in the cleanroom setting (in accordance with ANSI and OSHA requirements). 

How to Control Particulate Matter in Your Semiconductor Cleanroom

There are a few main ways to lessen the risk of cleanroom operator contamination: proper gowning (PPE) and air shower walkthroughs. In addition to that, your cleanroom should be equipped with powerful HEPA filters to continuously filter any dangerous particles out of the cleanroom environment.  

2. Static in the Semiconductor Cleanroom

Electro-static discharge (ESD), even at a microscopic level, is another leading cause of defects in silicon wafers and semiconductors. Static corrupts materials by drawing and adhering fine airborne particles to the products’ surface, ultimately resulting in product rejection or failure. 

Static can also pose a threat to semiconductor cleanroom operator safety. When static charges are allowed to build up, they can release suddenly in an uncontrolled manner and harm workers, either through electric shock or involuntary movement. 

How to Control Static in Your Semiconductor Cleanroom

Preventing static from harming your semiconductor cleanroom and manufacturing process starts with intentional cleanroom design and material choices. The most important thing to understand is that conductive materials are often more effective than insulative materials in sensitive applications like this one. Conductive materials allow electrons to flow quickly away from areas where they could build up, directing them safely to the ground. 

3. Humidity in the Semiconductor Cleanroom

Many products that are manufactured and tested in semiconductor cleanrooms are sensitive to moisture, so control of relative humidity (RH) is crucial. Most semiconductor cleanrooms must maintain RH at 35-65%, in addition to temperatures at 70°F or lower. 

Fluctuating humidity and temperature levels — even within that range — can present many threats to both productivity and product quality. From inconsistent bake-out times to evaporation of solvents to surface swelling and corrosion, any inconsistency in production control can have a negative impact. 

How to Control Humidity in Your Semiconductor Cleanroom

To control and maintain relative humidity, semiconductor cleanrooms require powerful HVAC systems to treat air before it’s filtered and released into the space. These HVAC systems are often independently dedicated to the cleanroom (rather than being integrated with the larger facility’s system) to allow for total control and boosted power. 

4. Outgassing in the Semiconductor Cleanroom

Outgassing is the release of gas that was previously trapped or stored within a solid material. It’s a common concern with electronic equipment and high-frequency circuit boards — the exact products that semiconductors help function. 

All the machines within a semiconductor cleanroom can experience outgassing, and the gas released can harm the manufacturing environment and process.

How to Control Outgassing in Your Semiconductor Cleanroom

There’s not a proven way to fully avoid outgassing. Instead, you can only do your best to prevent and control it from reaching harmful levels. A powerful cleanroom HVAC and filtration system can help to circulate and filter the air regularly so that any contaminated air is quickly taken care of and replaced with cleaner air. 

Another suggestion is to ensure your cleanroom equipment is properly taken care of. Well-maintained equipment often results in less outgassing. 

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Basic Semiconductor Cleanroom Design Considerations

Semiconductor manufacturing is highly sensitive and requires that all cleanroom systems work together to comply with strict cleanliness standards. Most semiconductor cleanrooms fall within ISO Class 4-6 requirements, which means they have some of the most stringent particle count requirements of any other industry. 

As factors like human contamination, static, humidity, and outgassing continue to threaten cleanroom processes and personnel, semiconductor cleanroom design must be able to address each one using: 

Contact Angstrom Technology for a Reliably Controlled Semiconductor Cleanroom

For a semiconductor cleanroom that eliminates all environmental threats, trust Angstrom Technology. Since 1989, our cleanroom experts have been designing, building, and installing high-quality cleanrooms for a variety of industry specialties and service areas. We’re now recognized as one of the top manufacturers of modular, turnkey cleanrooms in the country, and we’re continuing to expand services overseas as well. 

We can guide you through the design process and deliver the cleanroom solution you’ve been searching for. Contact us to get started today.   

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