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Cleanroom Conditions

Clean Room Safety

In general, the classifications of cleanrooms are done depending on the number and size of particles permitted per volume of air. Numbers like "class 100" or "class 1000" denote the number of particles of size 0.5 mm or larger permitted per cubic foot of air. 

The classifications of cleanrooms are done with two standards; (1) US Federal Standard 209E and (2) the newer standard TC 209 from the International Standards Organization. The number of particles found in the laboratory’s air is a basis for these two standards used in classification of cleanrooms. As an example; Sabancı University lab has been classified as a class 10 cleanroom because there are less than 10 particles per cubic foot. Table 11.1 relates FS to ISO classifications:

Table11.1 ISO 14644-1 Cleanroom Standards

Class

maximum particles/m3

FED STD 209E
equivalent

>=0.1 µm

>=0.2 µm

>=0.3 µm

>=0.5 µm

>=1 µm

>=5 µm

ISO 1

10

2

     

ISO 2

100

24

10

4

   

ISO 3

1,000

237

102

35

8

 

Class 1

ISO 4

10,000

2,370

1,020

352

83

 

Class 10

ISO 5

100,000

23,700

10,200

3,520

832

29

Class 100

ISO 6

1,000,000

237,000

102,000

35,200

8,320

293

Class 1,000

ISO 7

   

352,000

83,200

2,930

Class 10,000

ISO 8

   

3,520,000

832,000

29,300

Class 100,000

ISO 9

   

35,200,000

8,320,000

293,000

Room Air

* Table adopted from Brigham Young University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cleanroom Classification (Reference 11.1).

In the K 10,000 two situations exist:

  1. Mo - Fri, 07.00 a.m.. - 06.00 p.m. air extraction high
  2. Mo - Fri, 06.00 p.m.. - 07.00 a.m., and on Saturday, Sunday and on holidays: air extraction low

Air extraction high: conditions meet safety and minimum contamination level requirements.

Air extraction low: conditions meet safety requirements; minimum contamination level not guaranteed.