Air shower (room)Air showers are specialized enclosed antechambers which are incorporated as entryways of cleanrooms and other controlled environments to reduce particle contamination. Air showers utilize high-pressure, HEPA- or ULPA-filtered air to remove dust, fibrous lint, and other contaminants from personnel or object surfaces. The forceful "cleansing" of surfaces before entering clean environments reduces the number of airborne particulates introduced.
ISO 14644ISO 14644 Standards were first formed from the US Federal Standard 209E Airborne Particulate Cleanliness Classes in Cleanrooms and Clean Zones. The need for a single standard for cleanroom classification and testing was long felt. After ANSI and IEST petitioned to ISO for new standards, the first document of ISO 14644 was published in 1999, ISO 14644-1. In 2000, ISO 14644-2 was published, which began the process of FED-STD-209E being canceled.
Semiconductor device fabricationManufacturing process used to create integrated circuitsA semiconductor device manufacturing facility at HP LabsSemiconductor device fabrication is the process used to manufacture semiconductor devices, typically integrated circuits (ICs) such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, and memories (such as RAM and flash memory).
HEPAHEPA (, high efficiency particulate air, or high efficiency particulate arresting) is an efficiency standard of air filters. A HEPA filter is an air filter meeting such a standard. A HEPA filter must satisfy certain levels of efficiency.
Air handlerAn air handler, or air handling unit (often abbreviated to AHU), is a device used to regulate and circulate air as part of a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. An air handler is usually a large metal box containing a blower, furnace or A/C elements, filter racks or chambers, sound attenuators, and dampers.
ContaminationContamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that renders something unsuitable, unfit or harmful for the physical body, natural environment, , etc. Types of contaminationWithin the sciences, the word "contamination" can take on a variety of subtle differences in meaning, whether the contaminant is a solid or a liquid, as well as the variance of environment the contaminant is found to be in.
Pharmaceutical industryIndustry involved with discovery, development, production and marketing of drugsA drug manufacturer inspection by the US Food and Drug AdministrationThe pharmaceutical industry is a medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications. Medications are then administered to (or self-administered by) patients for curing or preventing disease or for alleviating symptoms of illness or injury.
VirologyVirology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of hostcells for reproduction, their interaction with host organism physiology and immunity, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy.
Biological engineeringBiological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically viable products that support health care. Biological engineering applies knowledge and expertise from various basic and applied sciences, including biomechanics, bioinformatics, thermodynamics, polymer science, medical imaging, and tissue engineering, among others.
Particulate matterMicroscopic solid or liquid matter suspended in the Earth's atmospherePM2.5 and PM10 compared with a human hair in a graphic from the Environmental Protection AgencyNuclear engineeringNuclear engineering is the engineering discipline concerned with designing and applying systems that utilize the energy released by nuclear processes. The most prominent application of nuclear engineering is the generation of electricity. Worldwide, some 439 nuclear reactors in 31 countries generate 10 percent of the world's energy through nuclear fission. In the future, it is expected that nuclear fusion will add another nuclear means of generating energy.Ultra-low particulate airUltra-low particulate air (ULPA) is a type of air filter. A ULPA filter can remove from the air at least 99.999% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles with a minimum particle penetration size of 120 nanometres (0.12 μm, ultrafine particles). A ULPA filter can remove—to a large extent but not 100%—oil smoke, tobacco smoke, rosin smoke, smog, and insecticide dust. It can also remove carbon black to some extent.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.