Willis Whitfield (December 6, 1919 – November 12, 2012) was an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

of the modern

cleanroom A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space, which maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates. It is well isolated, well-controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Such rooms are commonly needed for scientif ...

, a room with a low level of pollutants used in

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

. His invention earned him the nickname, "Mr. Clean," from ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

''. Whitfield was born in

Rosedale, Oklahoma Rosedale is a town in McClain County, Oklahoma, McClain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 66 at the United States Census, 2000, 2000 census. Geography Rosedale is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...

, the son of a cotton farmer. Between 1942 and 1944, he served as a ground radar crew chief in the Signal Corps, later serving in the Navy until the end of World War 2. He would graduate from Hardin-Simmons University in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science in physics and mathematics, later pursuing graduate studies at George Washington University. An employee of the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, Whitfield created the initial plans for the cleanroom in 1960. Prior to Whitfield's invention, earlier cleanrooms often had problems with particles and unpredictable airflows. Whitfield solved this problem by designing his cleanrooms with a constant, highly filtered air flow to flush out impurities in the air. Within a few years of its invention, sales of Whitfield's modern cleanroom had generated more than $50 billion in sales worldwide. Whitfield retired from Sandia in 1984. Whitfield died in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, on November 12, 2012, at the age of 92. His death was announced by officials at Sandia National Laboratories. Two years after his death, he would be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitfield, Willis 2012 deaths American physicists American inventors 1919 births Cleanroom technology Sandia National Laboratories people