Resources
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 a larger cleanroom
- A Laminar Flow Hood inside a 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.
Recommended for:
- Applications that require different zones of cleanrooms
- Extremely sensitive processes, such as silicon wafer manufacture
Benefits of mini environments
- Lower investment and installation costs by not over-designing the whole cleanroom to meet the highest level of cleanliness required
- Energy saving – 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
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