Something in the air

摘要

Cleanroom operators in life sciences and microelectronics both require compliance to ISO standards for air cleanliness and instrument performance, finding continuous monitoring systems advantageous in the battle against airborne contaminants. Airborne participate contamination is a quality issue in both the life science and electronics sectors, but there is one overarching difference between their respective needs: Relatively speaking, those in bio/phar-ma are looking for "rocks in the air," in the words of one observer. These "rocks" are particles that could potentially be or transport microbial contaminants, falling into the 0.5 μm and larger and 5.0 μm and larger size ranges. Contrast this with the ever-decreasing particle sizes that microelectronics manufacturers must guard against-down to 0.01 μm and beyond-and it is clear that different dynamics drive decision-making about airborne particle counting in these industries.