Class 100 cleanrooms (ISO 14644-1 Class 5)—critical for semiconductor manufacturing, medical implant production, and microelectronics assembly—allow no more than 100 particles (≥0.5μm) per cubic foot. Surface cleanliness here is non-negotiable, as even minor contaminants can ruin high-value products. Specialized cleaning wipes—engineered for ultra-low linting, particle trapping, and residue-free performance—are indispensable for maintaining these strict standards. Below is a detailed breakdown of their applications in Class 100 surface cleaning, from equipment to workspaces.
Class 100 cleanrooms house sensitive equipment like lithography scanners, wafer handlers, and metrology tools, whose surfaces (e.g., glass optics, stainless steel chucks) demand meticulous cleaning:
- Lithography Optics Maintenance: Pre-moistened cleaning wipes with 99.9% high-purity IPA remove oil residues and sub-micron dust from laser lenses and reticle masks. Their ultra-fine microfiber (0.1μm diameter) traps particles as small as 0.05μm without scratching anti-reflective coatings, ensuring light transmission accuracy.
- Wafer Chuck Decontamination: Dry cleaning wipes (250–300 gsm) with static-dissipative properties (10⁶–10¹¹ Ω) eliminate oxide films and silicon dust from chuck grooves. This prevents wafer misalignment during processing, a top cause of 3nm/5nm chip defects.
- Robot Arm Cleaning: Low-linting wipes (≤1 fiber shed per use) paired with deionized water clean transfer robot grippers, removing lubricant residues that attract dust. This maintains smooth wafer handling, reducing scratch risks.
Workbenches, fume hoods, and storage racks are primary particle collectors, requiring daily cleaning to prevent transfer to products:
- Daily Surface Sanitization: Pre-moistened wipes with hydrogen peroxide (3%) disinfect workbenches without leaving residues, critical for sterile medical device cleanrooms. Their non-woven, continuous-filament structure ensures no fibers remain on surfaces post-wiping.
- Fume Hood Interior Cleaning: Wipes resistant to harsh solvents (e.g., acetone) remove chemical splatters from hood walls. Their high absorbency (12x weight in liquid) contains spills, preventing solvent seepage into cracks where bacteria or particles hide.
- Tool Tray Maintenance: Small 4”x4” cleaning wipes target dust in tool tray compartments, ensuring tweezers, scalpel blades, and probes remain particle-free before use on sensitive components.
Even vertical surfaces and floors contribute to Class 100 contamination; cleaning wipes address these often-overlooked areas:
- Wall Panel Wiping: Dry, high-density wipes (350 gsm) remove dust from smooth vinyl or stainless steel walls. Their large surface area (12”x12”) covers more ground, reducing wipe usage and minimizing particle release from frequent product changes.
- Floor Mat Cleaning: Anti-static cleaning wipes with mild surfactants clean ESD floor mats, removing foot traffic residues without degrading their static-dissipative properties. This maintains a grounded environment for wafer transport.
- Window and Viewport Cleaning: Lens-safe pre-moistened wipes (deionized water-based) clean cleanroom windows and equipment viewports, ensuring clear visibility without streaks that could obscure particle detection.
After equipment repairs or part replacements, cleaning wipes are vital to re-establish cleanliness:
- Post-Repair Surface Purification: Wipes with low extractable ions (≤10ppb) clean areas where tools or parts were replaced (e.g., sensor housings, valve controls). This removes fingerprints, metal shavings, or lubricants introduced during maintenance.
- Crevice and Seam Cleaning: Wipes folded into narrow strips reach gaps between equipment panels or around fasteners, eliminating hidden dust that could migrate to product zones post-maintenance.
- Validation Support: Wipes used in post-cleaning verification (paired with particle counters) help confirm surfaces meet Class 100 limits (≤100 particles ≥0.5μm/ft³), ensuring compliance with SEMI F21 and ISO 14644-1.
- Particle Control: Wipes remove 99.9% of particles ≥0.1μm, far exceeding Class 100 requirements.
- Residue Elimination: Solvent-compatible variants leave no ionic or organic residues, critical for semiconductor and medical applications.
- Efficiency: Pre-moistened wipes reduce cleaning time by 40% vs. manual solvent application, minimizing cleanroom downtime.
In Class 100 cleanrooms, cleaning wipes are more than tools—they are guardians of quality, ensuring surfaces remain pristine enough to support the most demanding manufacturing and research standards.
