Mini Environments

A mini environment is a zone within a cleanroom that has a higher level of cleanliness than the rest of the cleanroom.

It is usually separated by a physical barrier and can be:

Intergral to the cleanroom, separated by hard or soft wall

A modular cleanroom inside an existing larger cleanroom

Micro environments are used a lot in semiconductor environments where products are only exposed to the environment at certain times during the manufacturing process. The critical manufacturing area may be a class 5 environment with a unidirectional downflow of air, whereas service areas where personnel operate may only require a class 8 environment.

Benefits

• Lower investment and installation costs by not over-designing the whole cleanroom to meet the highest level of cleanliness required.
• Energy saving! By not over-designing, the amount of air processed is significantly reduced - meaning more efficient operations and lower running costs.
• The physical barrier reminds operators of the different classes to encourage good protocol.

Recommended for:

• Applications that require different zones of cleanrooms
• Extremely sensitive processes, such as silicon wafer manufacture

To request more information on mini environments or to make an enquiry, contact us today!