Airborne molecular contamination (AMC) is common to every environment. These contaminants are not physical particles such as those found in airborne dust or pathogens. AMC is gas molecules that are part of and move with air. These molecules are the result of outgassing or emissions from virtually anything that can be found in a given setting, from humans and animals to equipment, materials and processes, as well as external AMC sources. Sensitivity to these gases varies widely in each environment.
AMC molecules, if left unchecked, can create a dirtier, unhealthier, or damaging environment. Finding and implementing the right AMC filtration solution is therefore vital to creating an environment that is both healthier for human occupancy and safer for materials, processes and products. However, AMC molecules – primarily comprised of acidic, basic, and organic contaminants – are miniscule in size. This creates unique challenges with respect to their removal.
Dealing with Contamination in Parts Per Billion
Imagine an industrial environment that requires the removal of one contaminant in eight billion, the equivalent of finding one person in the world population. That is about 0.1 ppb.. AMC filters are tasked with this challenge in semiconductor manufacturing and many other industrial settings.
AMC filter selection typically involves compromise. The filter needs to have a long lifetime, high removal efficiency, and low pressure drop. But adding more adsorbent to increase lifetime and removal efficiency adds both cost and weight as well as pressure drop, just to name one combination.
The History of AMC Filtration with Jürgen Lobert
How do filter manufacturers like Entegris create designs that can handle parts-per-billion filtration efficiency? How did semiconductor manufacturers come to require this kind of efficiency? We asked Jürgen Lobert, Entegris Director of AMC Technology, to share his expertise. Watch the video here.
To learn more about airborne molecular contamination, its sources and challenges, and how these are being addressed in a variety of markets, read our market brief “Fundamentals of AMC Filtration” and visit our AMC filtration solutions page.
