• Download the UGA Cleanroom User Request and Authorization Form

1. Users who want to access cleanroom must submit a signed copy of the “UGA Cleanroom User Request and Authorization Form” to cleanroom manager every semester.  In order to obtain cleanroom access, users are required to go through “Cleanroom Safety” test and pass the “Personal Contamination Control” evaluation.
2. Before start cleanroom, every user is suggested to order his/her own reusable Cleanroom Coverall due to our budget constraint. View product information (similar products may  be available from other companies). Please mark coveralls with your name for personal use only.
3. Only authorized users may enter the cleanroom unescorted.
4. Follow all the gowning regulations and equipment operation procedures.
5. Only use the equipment if you are authorized and trained.
6. Please LOGIN to the LOGBOOK when you start to use the equipment and LOGOUT when you are finished.  Please fill out all columns and be specific.  Note any problems/changes made to each piece of equipment.
7. No food or drink is permitted in the cleanroom at any time.
8. No cell phones are allowed in the cleanroom at any time.
9. No make-up is allowed in the cleanroom at any time.
10. No pencil is allowed in the cleanroom at any time.
11. Never leave any door propped open.
12. Be considerate by cleaning up your own mess. If you make a mess, clean it up and return everything to the original condition. The space is small, so keep the workbench as clean and orderly as possible.
13. Ask Dr. Yiping Zhao or Dr. Jason Locklin for permission before taking anything out of cleanroom.
14. Be aware of supplies. If quantities of supplies appear to be low, report it to your advisor or Dr. Yiping Zhao.
15. If you find any problem in the lab, please inform Dr. Yiping Zhao.
16. If you need to train someone to use a specific equipment, please obtain permission from Dr. Yiping Zhao.
17. DO NOT modify equipment without the approval of Dr. Yiping Zhao.
18. If you are not sure how things work, ask the equipment manager or your PI before you use it.

1. A general access charge of $300/semester will be billed. Charges will be billed for 3 semesters: Fall, Spring, and Summer. The charge will occur when the PI signs the cleanroom access authorization form and the student starts to access the cleanroom.
2. The general access charge for each user from non-UGA-affiliated organizations will be $2500 / fiscal year plus the state negotiated overhead charge.
3. Each new user will be responsible for purchasing a personal coverall and hood.  These will be stored in the cabinet within the gowning area.
4. The general access charges will be used to purchase general supplies for the cleanroom.  Examples include: cleanroom wipes, shoe covers, gloves, tacky-mats, pipette tips, solvents for general use, wafer accessories, etc.
5. Specific chemicals, consumables and gases for each piece of equipment will be shared among the PIs who regularly use the equipment for their research.  A purchasing rotation between PIs, based on past and present logbook records, will be used to assess charges.
6. Yearly service contracts for large equipment are about 10-15% of the original cost. While we do not charge per hour for specific equipment usage, the PIs (including users from non-affiliated organizations) responsible for the users must agree to split any maintenance and service costs based on their accumulative usage percentage from the equipment logbook.

Before entering the cleanroom, ensure that you have eye protection and that you are suitably attired (long pants/trousers, full-coverage shoes, no sandals or flip-flops, no high heels).  Be sure to leave all MP3/iPod players in your office, as well.  They are inappropriate for work in the cleanroom, where paying attention to your environment is important for both your safety and the safety of others.  Also, your cellphone is not allowed and once you are gowned-up, you won’t be able to pull it out of your pocket if it rings.

At this time, make sure your shoes are as clean as possible. Make use of the shoe cleaner brushes on the table near the entry door. Use them to remove the dirt on your shoes.

Enter the cleanroom using your UGA proxy card.  The lock will disengage once you have been authenticated.  If you are entering while other people are entering or leaving the space, be sure to proxy your card (you will hear the reader beep and the light on the reader change from red to green) even if the door is already open, as this “logs” you into the system.  If you are caught in the cleanroom without logging in, you will be disciplined accordingly.  Continuation of inappropriate access will result in dismissal and revocation of cleanroom access.

The first thing you will do is walk over a tacky mat.  If the mat is getting very dirty, please do not hesitate to pull up the next sheet.

If you are bringing any item into the cleanroom: you will find a supply of lab wipe, and a spray bottle of IPA on the rack near the gowning area.  Use the IPA and the wipes to clean the item before taking it into the clean space.

Next, before putting on shoe covers, make sure you shoes are AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE.  If there is any visible dirt, go back outside and use the brushes to make sure they are clean.  Once you are satisfied with cleanliness, pull the shoe covers over your shoes.

Next, put on a pair of vinyl gloves.  You will wear these gloves while gowning.  Also put on the bouffant hair cover, tucking your hair underneath the cover if appropriate.  If you have a beard or moustache (more than two days of growth for most men) also put on a beard cover.

Next, take your gown and hood, which should be hanging in the gowning closet.  If you do not have the gown or hood, choose one of each now, of the appropriate size, from the rack.  Sizes are labeled; they range from small on the left to 3XL on the right.  Hoods range from small to XL.

Now you are ready to step through the door to the gowning room and onto the next tacky mat.  If it is getting dirty, pleas pull up the next sheet.  Note, if the shoe covers and shoe brushes are doing their job, this should take a while to get dirty!

We gown up in a “top-down” fashion.  First, put on the hood, ensuring the snaps face outward.  Tuck in your hair.  Fasten the hood closure and adjust the fit snaps as needed.  A full-length mirror is available in the gowning room to ensure you are properly attired.

Next, step into the coverall, while preventing the coverall from contacting the floor as much as possible.  This takes practice to do well.  Fasten the coverall with the front zipper, ensuring the hood tails are completely tucked into the neck of the coverall.  Use the mirror to ensure that you are “tucked in” completely.

Finally, put on the boots over your blue shoe covers.  Use the adjustable strap to secure the lower part of the boot against your foot and shoe.  Tuck the coverall into the top part of the boot, fasten the top of the boot to the bottom of the coverall with snaps provided, and secure the top strap snugly with its snap.

Select the appropriate glove for your intended activity in the cleanroom.  The nitrile gloves are appropriate for most chemical work.  The vinyl gloves, for some, are more comfortable and allow a bit more tactile feedback, but are not appropriate for chemical work.

Finally, recheck your gowning in the mirror.  If you notice anything amiss, fix it now before stepping onto the last tacky mat and into the cleanroom space.

2. Exit

The degowning procedure is essentially the reverse of the gowning procedure.  While still gloved, remove your garments in the “bottom-up” fashion: remove boots, then coverall (don’t let it touch the floor!).  Hang the coverall on your hangar.  You can now snap your boots to the bottoms of the coverall legs to keep all your garments together.  Finally, remove the hood and snap it to the coverall as well.

Next, step out into the entryway.  Remove and dispose of your shoe covers, your vinyl gloves, and your hair and beard cover.