Measured Effects of Reduced Flow Velocity in a Laminar Flow Cleanroom

Abstract

Vertical laminar flow (VLF) cleanrooms generally operate with airflows between 60 feet per minute (fpm) and 110 fpm. Tests were performed to evaluate the effects on particle contamination levels when the airflow velocity in a FED-STD-209 Class 1 VLF cleanroom was reduced. The cleanroom normally operates at 90 fpm. Measurements of surface particle concentrations were made on settling monitor wafers and on wafers carried in an open cassette. Optical particle counters measured the airborne particle concentrations at several locations. Results at 100 fpm and 50 fpm, respectively, for particles larger than or equal to 0.3 μm in optical equivalent diameter were −0.0002 and +0.0029 particles/sq cm/hr for the settling wafers and 0.009 and 0.024/sq cm total for the wafers carried for 5 hr in the open cassettes. Summary statistics are provided for the airborne and surface particle counts. Deposition velocity is the ratio of surface deposition rate to airborne concentration. For the monitor wafers at the lower flow, the calculated particle deposition velocities were near 0.003 cm/sec, which is within the range expected from theory and experiments in the literature.