In cleanroom operation the number of particles that are carried by personnel into the cleanroom must be controlled. In aid of this, a tacky polymeric mat can remove particles from footwear.
In cleanrooms for technical products the benefits of the use of polymeric mats are relatively unknown.
Though various studies on the removal of microorganisms and particles from footwear by polymeric mats have been published, this is not the whole story.
There is little information available on the effectiveness of polymeric mats on air cleanliness and particle deposition rates
Unsurprisingly, both antimicrobial properties and particle removal cause good results in the reduction of the transfer of microorganisms across a polymeric mat.
However, there is little information available on the effectiveness of polymeric mats with respect to air cleanliness levels and particle deposition rates.
In a cleanroom for the assembly of equipment for semiconductor processing at NTS, a comparison was done between a polymeric mat before the entry of the cleanroom and no mat.
The room under investigation
Looking at the parameters of this research, this cleanroom hosts about 12 operators and sometimes process or quality engineers work daily. Each evening the rooms are then cleaned by one person.
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