The need for a standardized definition of cleanroom quality and standards has grown with the increasing cross-country and cross-sector interest in cleanroom technology. There were various specifications and recommendations prior to universal standardization due to the far-reaching and dynamic advancement in the development of cleanroom technologies in a wide variety of regions. We outline the historical development of standardization in the field of cleanroom technologies in this article and offer an overview of the current status quo of the most relevant standards.
What are the accepted Standards?
A little bit of history!
Among scientists, the precise advent of cleanroom technology is disputed. The only assurance is that it originally concentrated on a relatively limited variety of technologies and really became truly important from the early 1960s onwards.
Cleanroom technology was originally used in only a few sectors and was largely exclusive to the US semiconductor industry. In Switzerland, however, even medical facilities learned the definitive benefits of cleanroom technologies very early on, even before other industries used the new technology. Although at the outset the invention was a “niche product,” the increased demand was sparked by the advances in space technology at the time and the worldwide arms race for the first lunar expedition in particular.
The final accepted standards
The United States Federal Standard 209 (FS 209) finally provided the first standardization for the criteria of cleanroom technology in 1963 with the gradually growing interest in the concept of Cleanroom. It was continually further developed from that point on.
The benefits of these standards
Efforts to standardize cleanroom requirements and regulations have gathered momentum from then on and have been continuously optimized and updated to address new challenges.
Production under clean conditions has become important for an ever-increasing number of companies and sectors, with dramatically and constantly evolving requirements for product and related manufacturing processes over time. Within a few years, due to the significant growth of various companies and research departments from around the world, a global standard for cleanroom technology criteria had to be found to ensure a uniform, overarching and high-quality classification. However, until 29 November 2001, it was possible to set a globally valid standard and be fully effective.
The Current Standards
In many businesses today, the idea of cleanliness is important. Microelectronics, optics, biotechnology, semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutics, or nanotechnology – all rely on concepts of cleanroom technology for the production of their products. This is the only way to incorporate flawless processes and meet the most sophisticated consumers and markets’ most sophisticated needs.
Since November 2001, the global cleanroom technology requirements standard has become uniform. The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) is formally responsible for standardizing legislation and requirements in countries and industries around the world and accepting the ISO 14644 standard internationally. In addition to cleanroom standards, the General Specification also provides guidance on air safety and credentials.
To conclude, there is a great deal to go with the advancement of cleanroom systems and the relevant standards and guidelines. In today’s economy and manufacturing world, technical developments allow for increasingly brief periods for daily new goods and hence new consumer demands. The definition of purity can only be fairly established further if the requirements of clean-room technologies are tailored to current circumstances.