Comprehensive Analysis of Cleanroom Design Standards and Application Fields

 

A cleanroom is an indispensable clean environment in the fields of modern industry and scientific research. Its core function is to provide pollution-free guarantee for high-precision production and experiments by controlling parameters such as particles, temperature, humidity, pressure, and airflow in the air. The following provides a comprehensive analysis from the perspectives of definition, classification, standards, and design essentials.

 

I. Definition and Core Function of Cleanrooms

A cleanroom, also known as a dust-free workshop, is an environmental space that achieves efficient control of pollutants such as microparticles and bacteria through an air purification system, specific operating procedures, and building structures. Its core ability lies in maintaining constant cleanliness, temperature, humidity, and pressure conditions, ensuring that environmental stability is not affected by external interference. Such environments are widely used in fields such as semiconductor chip manufacturing, pharmaceutical production, bioengineering, and precision instrument processing, directly affecting product quality and R & D success rates.

 

II. Classification Standards for Cleanrooms

1. Airflow Organization Mode

   - Unidirectional flow cleanroom: Air flows unidirectionally at a uniform speed, suitable for high-cleanliness requirements from Class 100 to Class 1,000 scenarios, such as chip manufacturing.

   - Non - unidirectional flow cleanroom: Local cleanliness is achieved through mixed airflows, suitable for scenarios with cleanliness requirements of Class 10,000 or lower.

2. Cleanliness Level

   The internationally accepted standard ISO 14644 divides levels according to the number of particles of a specific size per cubic meter of air (e.g., ISO Class 1 to ISO Class 9). China's national standard "Code for Design of Clean Rooms" (GB 50073) is fully compatible with it.

3. Classification by Application Field

   - Industrial cleanroom: Controls dust and chemical pollutants (e.g., in the semiconductor and electronics industries).

   - Biological cleanroom: Prevents and controls bacteria and microorganisms (e.g., in pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical operating rooms).

 

III. Key Points in Cleanroom Design and Construction

1. Site Selection and Layout

   It is necessary to avoid areas with high pollution sources and heavy traffic, and give priority to areas with a stable natural environment. The layout of process equipment should be compact and reasonable, reducing the material transmission path and avoiding cross - contamination.

2. Building Structure Design

   Use air - tight materials. The walls and floors should be wear - resistant and corrosion - resistant; fire - prevention and earthquake - resistance performance should meet industry specifications. Modular design is recommended for easy later expansion and upgrading.

3. Air Purification System

   - Filtration Process: Primary filtration + intermediate filtration + high - efficiency filtration (HEPA/ULPA). The high - efficiency filter can intercept particles above 0.3μm with an efficiency of 99.99%.

   - Airflow Organization: Adopt the top - supply and side - return or unidirectional laminar flow mode. The air change rate needs to be adjusted according to the cleanliness level (e.g., 50 - 60 times per hour for ISO Class 5).

   - Positive Pressure Control: The indoor pressure should be higher than the external environment (usually 10 - 30 Pa) to prevent the infiltration of external pollutants.

 

IV. Cleanroom Management Regulations and Maintenance

1. Personnel Management

   Personnel are the main pollution source. The amount of dust generation needs to be reduced through air showers, wearing dust - free clothing, and regular training. For example, a person releases about 100,000 particles per minute when stationary, and this number may increase to millions when walking.

2. Environmental Monitoring

   Parameters such as the concentration of suspended particles, differential pressure, temperature, and humidity need to be regularly detected. Real - time data collection and early warning are achieved through an online monitoring system.

3. Equipment Maintenance

   Regularly replace filters (the service life of high - efficiency filters is usually 2 - 5 years), clean the air - conditioning system and air ducts, and ensure the operating efficiency of equipment.

 

V. Typical Application Scenarios

- Semiconductor Industry: Class 1,000 to Class 100 cleanrooms are used for processes such as lithography and packaging.

- Pharmaceutical Industry: Class 10,000 cleanrooms are used for the production of sterile preparations, and local Class 100 areas are used for filling lines.

- Biological Laboratory: Biological safety cabinets need to be combined to control the risk of microbial cross - infection.