Guide to Cleanrooms for Electronics and Semiconductor Use

Specialist cleanrooms for sensor technology and electronics manufacture are known as semiconductor cleanrooms and are designed to create the optimal conditions for the development and use of sensitive materials. In this article, we will explain why a cleanroom is required for working with semiconductors and the key design features that we include when designing these facilities.

Why do we need cleanrooms for electronics and semiconductor manufacturing?

When producing sensitive technologies, such as microchips, printed circuit boards, optoelectronic diodes, sensors and nanotechnology, the air quality and conditions materials are exposed to have a direct impact on product success.

Semiconductor materials are highly sensitive and can be damaged by minute changes in air pressure, temperature and humidity, or by particulate matter that lands on the material. There are also significant risks of electrostatic discharge causing harm or malfunction.

For this reason, specialised cleanrooms are used for electronic fabrication, assembly and packing.

Design Features of an Electronics Cleanroom

An electronics industry cleanroom uses various technologies to create optimal conditions for these sensitive materials.

ESD Control

Static build-up can cause small sparks or discharges that can damage delicate electronic components. In an ESD cleanroom, workbenches, walls and floors may be constructed from static dissipative materials to cause static electricity to flow away from critical components. They may also include grounding pins, drawing built-up charges into the ground.

Reduce Contamination

Ventilation and filtered air input are key components of all cleanrooms, which change the air and pull airborne contaminants down towards the floor. Layout design can produce extremely clean zones using controlled air pressure and airlocks between production areas.

Temperature & Humidity Control

Because materials in microchips and nanotechnology are extremely fine, they are highly sensitive to variations in temperature and humidity. In a standard electronics cleanroom, we install dedicated air handlers for each zone to keep temperatures within +/-0.56 degrees Celsius and relative humidity between +5% and +10%.

Lighting Control

Manufacturing optoelectronic and photosensitive components can be negatively impacted by bright lights. The same is true for some precise processes, such as photolithography. In these cleanrooms, it is important to install lighting that can be adjusted to the optimal brightness to enable operators to see without damaging the end products. Bright lighting is still important for cleaning, however, so both are installed in technology cleanrooms and dark rooms.

Airology Systems: a Properly Designed Cleanroom

Purpose-built technology cleanrooms are reliable settings for your manufacturing processes. As a trusted semiconductor cleanroom manufacturer, Airology Systems works together with companies to design the ideal setting for all of your operations.

We plan layouts that encourage airflow to cascade down from the most critical to the least critical areas using air pressure control. A properly-designed cleanroom includes gowning areas, security controls and appropriate storage areas according to the clients’ needs.