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There are distinct differences in the basic design criteria between semiconductor

and biopharma cleanrooms — starting with the floors, ceilings, and walls.

As the CEO of a cleanroom room design/build company, a turnkey service

provider for the life science industries, I’m frequently asked, “So, how’d you

get into this?” And the answer is always the same — a long-winded monologue

on how I started my career in the mid-1990s working for a subcontractor in

Silicon Valley and how, due to a shift in capital expenditures, I was motivated

to make a move away from semiconductor and focus instead on biopharma

ceutical and health care. The not-so-subtle theme of follow the money always

raises eyebrows and gets the slow but affirmative nod of approval, but what

seems to get lost in translation are the reasons why such a move was necessary;

that is, there are distinct differences in the basic design criteria between

semiconductor and biopharma which make the engineering and construction

of their cleanroom environments a mutually exclusive process.

For years, I witnessed cleanroom vendors and contractors grossly

cannibalize semiconductor products in unsuccessful attempts at

creating acceptable life science systems. It’s fair to say that the lack

of understanding by professionals on all sides of both industries — designers,

manufacturers, contractors, and end users — have slowed the process of

innovation. It has resulted in many companies accepting products that

don’t perform to the highest standards which have ultimately increased

costs and slowed production.

The most commonly understood element of their incompatibility is in the

contrasting nature of their exposed surface materials — the floors, walls,

and ceilings. This is due to the obvious fact that the performance criteria of the

architectural surfaces in a semiconductor facility are completely opposite

to those in a life science laboratory. A somewhat typical semiconductor

The Incompatibilities of Semiconductor and Life Science Cleanrooms

The Incompatibilities of Semiconductor and Life Science Cleanrooms