Published Papers

Informative technical articles and peer-reviewed papers written by Texwipe experts and published in important trade journals are available below.

NEW!

• Are Your Stainless Steel Surfaces Being Corroded by Repeated Bleach Use?
  Bleach is known to be corrosive to metals commonly found in pharmaceutical work environments. Read this article to found out if your surfaces are at risk.
  This article from September 2014 issue of Controlled Environments is reprinted with permission. Copyright 2014 by CE.

WIPERS

• Are You Looking for a Lint-Free Wiper? This article describes the definition of lint-free wipers and questions if these wipers exist at all. 
• Consistency as the True Measure of Cleanroom Wiper Quality
  In this study we review the test methods used to evaluate cleanroom wipers, present a new and improved approach for cleanliness evaluation, and demonstrate the value of using consistency of test results rather than a singular result as the true measure of wiper quality.
  This article from October 2011 issue of the Journal of the IEST is reprinted with permission from the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST). Copyright 2011 by IEST, www.iest.org, (847) 981-0100.
• Comprehensive Particle and Fiber Testing for Cleanroom Wipers
  In the semiconductor and data storage industries, cleanroom consumables such as wipers are routinely tested to determine the extent of releasable particles in the submicron to few-micronsized range.
• Evaluating Sample Preparation Techniques for Cleanroom Wiper Testing
  The testing of cleanroom wipers has evolved over the past 20 years from simply shaking a material and visually approximating the amount of lint released to much more complex methods of separating particles from the wiper followed by quantification using sensitive analytical instrumentation.
• Progress in Pre-Wetted Wiper Cleanliness Levels
  Pre-wetted wipers replace the use of dry wipers with squirt bottles and offer a more convenient, cost-effective approach to contamination control.

Swabs

• Why The Swab Matters in Cleaning Validation
  In recent years, increased emphasis has been placed on the development of validated and robust cleaning protocols.
  Sandeep Kalelkar, Ph.D.
• Cleaning and Cleaning Validation
  Greater emphasis has been placed on the development of validated and robust cleaning protocols.
• How to Suceed in the Search for Nothing: Swab Techniques
  Searching for nothing would seem to be an absolute waste of time — unless you are responsible for cleaning validation.
• Choosing the Correct Swab for Cleaning Validation
  The cleaning process can be validated by sampling various parts of the manufacturing equipment and analyzing the sampling material for contaminants.
• TOC Analysis of Swab Samples for Cleaning Validation of Bioprocess Fermentation Equipment
  Validated cleaning procedures are needed to ensure the absence of contaminants from bioprocessing equipment, and these procedures must be supported by appropriate analytical methodology.

STERILE

• Is Your IPA Bottle Doing More Harm Than Good?
  Isopropyl alcohol is used throughout the lifescience cleanroom to sanitize work surfaces, gloves and tools. If spores exist in an environment and the trigger mechanism of the bottle pulls in contaminated air, those spores can be dispersed all over your cleanroom. But does that really happen?
• Contamination Risk & Product Variability
  People constitute the greatest contamination risk in any cleanroom. We carry a variety of particulate and microbial contamination with us into a cleanroom, and while gowning protocols may serve to mitigate this contamination risk, the only true way to minimize it is to eliminate the presence of people in controlled environments.
• Smart Consumables Usage in Cost-Conscious Environments
  Winning in today’s fiercely competitive global environment often means operating under strict cost controls. Wiping materials, comprising a major component of the cleanroom consumables budget, have been the focus of many cost saving programs. The results have sometimes been mixed. End users have found that, indeed, there are ways in which wiping materials can be used more cost-effectively. This paper will address opportunities for smart consumable (wiper) usage without endangering end-product performance.

ESD

• Basics of Contamination by Electrostatic Attraction
  Excess electrical charge plays a significant role in contamination. It can cause an energetic discharge (“electrostatic discharge” or “ESD”) that causes damage, and it can attract particles, by means of “electrostatic attraction” or “ESA,” that can lead to damage.
• Controlling Electrostatic Attraction of Particles in Production Equipment
  Among users and manufacturers of semiconductor production equipment, the effects of electrostatic surface charge are well known. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) damages both products and reticles. ESD events also result in unwanted electromagnetic interference (EMI), causing equipment to malfunction.
• ESD Safety in Cleanrooms: Natural vs. Man-made Materials
  Electrostatic charge build-up in cleanrooms can produce higher levels of surface contamination, electrostatic discharges that damage integrated circuits, MR and GMR heads, and electromagnetic pulses that can disrupt robotics.
• ESD: Another Kind of Lethal Contaminant
  Care must be taken to ensure that standard contamination-control measures do not compromise ESD management and vice versa.

OTHER

• Ionizer Pin Cleaning Maintains Performance
  Emitter electrodes in ionizing systems for electrostatic charge control will become contaminated with environmental residues over time and these residues will compromise performance by reducing ion density and by generating particles. This article describes why this is the case and how it can be avoided.
• Abrasion Basics for Contamination Control
  Abrasion — the wearing away of one solid surface by another — is a common source of contaminating particulate matter in clean manufacturing. Abrasion-generated particles can be transported by gas, liquid, or solid-solid contact and result in significant damage to products.
• Is This a Convenient Time to Clean?
  No one comes to work in the morning excited about the prospect of cleaning. To make matters worse, often cleanroom surfaces don’t look any different after cleaning. Cleaning is also viewed as a disruption to the orderly flow of manufacturing; ostensibly, if you are cleaning, you cannot be making product.
• Smart Consumables Usage in Cost-Conscious Environments
  Winning in today’s fiercely competitive global environment often means operating under strict cost controls. Wiping materials, comprising a major component of the cleanroom consumables budget, have been the focus of many cost saving programs. The results have sometimes been mixed. End users have found that, indeed, there are ways in which wiping materials can be used more cost-effectively. This paper will address opportunities for smart consumable (wiper) usage without endangering end-product performance.
• Bibliography on Cleaning Cleanrooms
  Recommended information sources for cleaning cleanrooms.