The demand for cleanroom-suitable products and materials is increasing considerably. A survey held by the Fraunhofer IPA last year concerned just with the range of products manufactured by the 300 participants involved in the survey showed a six-fold increase in the number of cleanroom-suitable products and materials within the last twelve years. What exactly the term »cleanroom-suitable« means is not always clear. This is despite the fact that the term was defined about two years ago in the VDI Guideline 2083 (Part 8) titled “Methods and procedures for assessing the cleanroom suitability of operating utilities”. Over 42 percent of the companies questioned stated that they didn’t receive clear specifications from their customers regarding the materials to be used. »Cleanroom suitability is often only a general requirement. Without more precise details, such requirements can’t be met« remarked UdoGommel from the Fraunhofer IPA. This is due to the fact that, contrary to operating utilities, up till now the cleanroom suitability of materials has not been clearly defined nor have specific test methods been developed to determine it. Cleanroom experts working at the Fraunhofer IPA have now set out to rectify this deficit. Its first step towards achieving this goal has been the foundation of the industrial alliance »Cleanroom Suitable Materials« which was set up at the beginning of this year.
The aim of the industrial alliance »Cleanroom Suitable Materials« is to bring together and advance the state of technology and science with regard to complex »cleanroom-suitable materials« and to lay the foundations for the characterization and selection of materials for use in clean applications. All the cleanroom users questioned desire standardized, clearly-defined test and assessment algorithms for materials. Mr. Gommel sees the alliance as an important step towards achieving uniform standards: »Such alliances have already proved their worth in the past in dealing with other technical problems such as the standardized specification of ultra-pure media« he commented. The outcome of the alliance will give participants tools which can be used in practice to enable them to reliably select cleanroom-suitable materials and test them using standardized procedures. The contents of the industrial alliance will be determined by the participating companies themselves. Their active collaboration in identifying and characterizing new materials and surface technology systems ensures them a considerable competitive advantage. They receive a comprehensive overview of the current state of technology and in a position to influence it. The industrial alliance »Cleanroom Suitable Materials« is still accepting participants.
Mediendienst der Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Februar 2004, Thema 7
