Tag Archives: Optics

Sources of Cleanroom Contamination

sources-of-contamination

SOURCES OF CLEANROOM CONTAMINATION What Are The Most Common Sources Of Contamination In A Cleanroom? People & Personnel Objects Fluids Tools Equipment Processes What Are The Most Common Types Of Cleanroom Contamination? Skin Particles Fibers Dust Grease Bacteria Viruses Metals Fungi NVRS (Non-volatile Residues) Ions Films DID YOU KNOW? Using Cheap Or Substandard Cleanroom Wipes [Read More…]

Do You Have Cleanroom Swabs That Are Free of DOP?

Question Do you have cleanroom swabs that are free of DOP? Answer All Berkshire’s Lab-Tip® swabs have no detected DOP. Our suppliers are required to test for this and report the passed test results and provide a COA (Certificate of Analysis) indicating the absence of detectable DOP.  Did You Know?  DOP (dioctyl phthalate) is used to improve [Read More…]

Taking the Charge Out of Wiping ESD-Sensitive Surfaces

child vacuuming

Let’s start with a quick story titled “The Mystery of the Talking Plant”. On a dry, wintry day a son calls out to Mom. MOM!!! The plant in the living room is talking to me, really! “What?” “No, seriously Mom.  I had just finished vacuuming and the plant next to me started making a buzzing [Read More…]

I Can See Clearly Now – Microfiber Wipes Part 2

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In Part I of “I Can See Clearly Now”, we described the physical construction of microdenier fibers incorporated in fabric used for cleaning eyeglasses. These same fibers can also be employed as the base material for cleanroom wipers. Note however, that microdenier cleanroom wipers are orders of magnitude cleaner than the microdenier fabric used for cleaning eyeglasses. [Read More…]

I Can See Clearly Now – Microfiber Wipers Part 1

If you’ve purchased a new pair of prescription glasses in the last twenty years, chances are you were given a cleaning “cloth” to keep them in pristine condition.  Actually, “cloth” is not best description since the material doesn’t contain any cotton – the word that most often comes to mind when we say “cloth”.  Better [Read More…]

Particles on Surfaces: Part 4 – Optimum Wiping Techniques

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Before we address wiping techniques, we might well question the need for wiping. After all, if capillary forces hold particles to surfaces strongly enough that the particles can’t easily get airborne, why the great concern to remove the particles by wiping? The simple answer is embodied in two words:  Contact Transfer. That’s the means by which [Read More…]

“Lint-Free” Wipes: Available Only Through Your Fairy Godmother

Lint Free Wipes

Web searches for “Lint Free Wipes” provide some interesting information.  A Google search returns 82,300 hits. A search of “lint-free” on the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) site returns 265 hits, and a search of “lint-free” on the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) site returns 737 hits. Of these, three are contained in the <797> document on [Read More…]