New nanotechnology documents from IEST provide standards and guidelines for facilities

Published: 29-Jul-2013

They address the unique considerations facing owners, designers and builders of these high-technology facilities


The US Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) has published two documents to support facilities involved in research and production at the nanometre scale.

The Recommended Practice IEST-RP-NANO200.1 provides an overview of factors involved in the design, start-up, and operation of facilities in the field of nanotechnology.

‘Before this RP, there was not really a design guide for nano facilities,’ said Ahmad Soueid, Chair of IEST Working Group 200, which developed the RP. ‘We didn’t set out to create a document for solutions, because the solutions are unlimited. We wanted to identify potential pitfalls as well as some of the questions that need to be addressed along the way.’

Novices and experts alike are expected to benefit from this overview that will take them from the earliest planning stages to start-up, helping to avert potential roadblocks during each project phase.

ISO/DIS 14644 Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments – Part 12: Classification of air cleanliness by nanoscale particle concentration is the first of the ISO/TC 209 documents to address the requirements of nanotechnology.

This addition to the ISO 14644 series of cleanroom standards covers the classification of air cleanliness by particles (ACP) in terms of concentration of airborne nanoscale particles. For classification purposes, only populations of particles with a lower size limit of 0.1 micrometres (100 nanometres) or less are considered. The classification given in the document is for use mainly in ‘in operation’ states. This classification extrapolates the particulate classification equation specified in 14644-1 Classification of air cleanliness into the nanoscale region.

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