Equipment
Chemicals/Gases 
- Trapping Airborne Molecules -- Part 2: Mechanisms
Clean air and gases are critical for many industrial processes. Trace molecular impurities can contaminate and subvert a process. As mentioned last month, given the diverse nature of molecular contaminants, there is no universal AMC (airborne molecular contaminant) filter or purifier. However, filters may be divided into three major categories based on the mechanism of action. The categories are relevant to both AMC and to purification of pure gases. - Trapping Airborne Molecules: Molecular Filters, Gas Purifiers - Part 1
“AMC filters don’t work.” “We don’t need to trap AMC’s.” These facile sentiments impede progress in critical applications. - When Good Gas Goes Bad: Gas Purifiers At Work
Once obsessed with metallic impurity levels, reducing variations in the delivered gas purity has become the primary focus of contamination control engineers managing gas distributions systems. When used correctly at bulk sources or at the point-of-use, gas purifiers can remove harmful impurities down to the ppt range. - All Stories
Isolation Technology
- Containment of Hazardous Drugs: The New Paradigm
Compared to pharmaceutical manufacturing, hazardous drugs have a narrow definition in the world of pharmacy. This article will compare and contrast the differences in the approach and knowledge base that exists in both worlds, in terms of defining and coping with the hazards these drugs represent. - Biological Safety Cabinets: Controlling Contamination
In order to maximize productivity while maintaining the highest level of safety, biosafety cabinets have become a crucial component. - Cleaning of Isolators and Bio-Safety Cabinets
Good contamination control practices and adherence to established, written SOPs can minimize cross-contamination in isolators and bio-safety cabinets. - All Stories
Monitoring Equipment
- The Leaning of Thermal Validation
Validation professionals spend extensive time validating temperature to ensure the integrity of controlled environments and to fulfill compliance requirements. - The Evolution of Airborne Particle Counters
The new ISO standard increases the repeatability between units as a whole for all manufacturers. - Trapping Airborne Molecules: Molecular Filters, Gas Purifiers - Part 1
“AMC filters don’t work.” “We don’t need to trap AMC’s.” These facile sentiments impede progress in critical applications. - All Stories
HEPA Filters
- Airborne Molecular Contamination Part 3 - Head It Off
AMC can be a “silent poisoner” of your process. Poisons sap strength — including product quality and profits. Stop AMC at the source. Where in your process flow might it be an issue? Could AMC arise from the outside environment or prior processing in your supply chain? Is it being generated inside your facility? - Biological Safety Cabinets: Controlling Contamination
In order to maximize productivity while maintaining the highest level of safety, biosafety cabinets have become a crucial component. - Far From Nano: Hepa-Filtered Industrial Vacuums Help Solve Critical Safety Concerns
Simply stated, nanotechnology is a system of innovative methods to control and manipulate matter at near atomic scale to produce new materials, structures, and devices.1 Manufacturers across the board are embracing the technology, coined nanomanufacturing, and the process is creeping up everywhere. - All Stories
Microenvironments
- Estimating Drying Times, Break-through Times, Permeation Rates, and Post-Purge Outgassing For Microenvironments
In the future, microenvironments will be required to maintain low oxygen and relative humidity levels to facilitate newer technology nodes. - Purge Micro-Environment With Ionized Air to Reduce Chances of ESD Damages to Wafers
The problem of electrostatic discharge (ESD) resulting from charges on wafers is a serious concern in IC manufacturing processes. - Contamination Control and CGMP
Controlling the fabrication environment is not an end in itself. Manufacturers who process and assemble their product in controlled environments know that the clean-room or mini-environment must be appropriately designed and must also be maintained clean and contamination free. However, cleanliness of the product itself is the ultimate goal. This goal applies whether the application is from aerospace, military, medical device, pharmaceutical, or other disciplines. - All Stories
Ultra Pure Water/Water Systems
- Ultra Pure Water Immersion Lithography: Purification Needs and Solutions
Optical lithography has enabled semiconductor manufacturers to increase chip capacity at astounding rates by shrinking circuit line widths. Printing of these finer lines has been achieved using a progressively smaller wavelength light source, which currently isa 193-nm laser targeted to the 65-nm features. To extend the 193-nm illumination to 45-nm and perhaps beyond, the industry will switch to immersion lithography using ultra-pure water (UPW) which is placed between the final lens and the wafer. - Water: Perfect Solvent? Or Poor Solvent?
Critical cleaning in biological and pharmaceutical industries depends upon a critical characteristic of water. Critical cleaning in finishing, manufacturing, and research has to overcome that characteristic of water. Our life, our planet, health, and even critical cleaning depend on it: hydrogen-bonding within water. - Development of Fouling Resistant Water Treatment Membranes With Microbial Sensing Capabilities
MEMBRANES FOR WATER TREATMENT - All Stories