Pascale: “Customers and process will meet in a shared, high-tech laboratory”

At Electron Mec’s facility in Gorgonzola, one of the company’s most ambitious technological bets is taking shape: an ISO-6 class clean room, a space built for production excellence that’s designed not only for in-house technicians but also open to direct collaboration with customers. Sara Pascale, Senior Process Engineer, walks us through its origins, features, and future plans. Her career path is an unusual one: about a decade ago, with a bold decision, she completely changed direction to enter the world of manufacturing processes applied to integrated photonics on platforms such as silicon, lithium niobate, and silicon oxide and nitride, building her expertise in the very environments she now helps keep running. Like the Electron Mec clean room, which will soon be proudly available to researchers and customers in a true win-win arrangement.

What are the advantages of a clean room?

“First of all, there are many types. Ours is ISO-6 class, meaning it’s designed to keep the concentration of contaminating particles to an absolute minimum. Dust invisible to the naked eye can actually compromise a device while it’s being processed. We control temperature, humidity, lighting conditions, and even the wavelength of light can be a relevant factor. Then there’s the operator: above all, a person is a potential contaminant. That’s why specific suits, hairnets, masks, and gloves are required. It does take demanding care, but the operational quality and results are top-tier.”

Whose idea was it to build this facility, and with what goal?

“The idea came from Luigi Caligarich, our CEO. His vision looks ahead: beyond research itself, the clean room lets customers see the machines in action and get hands-on experience with what innovative or experimental technologies can actually achieve. It turns a purchase from an act of blind trust into a shared experience. Often, when you buy a machine, on paper it seems capable of everything; it’s only through real use that you discover its limits and its potential. That’s why the clean room is a genuine added value that shapes proactive, mutually beneficial collaborations: on one side, the customer better understands what they actually need; on the other, by exploring goals and the best solutions to reach them, our own know-how grows. We never do the same thing twice, and that’s what makes the work exciting. A true win-win in the most authentic sense of the word.”

How did the design and construction phases unfold?

“I joined the team partway through, but I know it took an enormous effort from several people, including Paolo Valesi and Gabriele Galeazzi. A clean room is, first and foremost, a workplace, and as such it has to meet strict regulatory requirements: from the fire prevention system to emergency exits, including operator safety. On top of that come specific technical requirements, like a ventilation system with HEPA filters, a carefully calibrated air recirculation system, and, above all, positive pressure, which is essential to keep outside particles from getting in every time a door opens. Even the floor and ceiling require specific materials, often with long lead times.”

So even the floor required special attention?

“Every single element contributes to perfecting the features of this unique environment: everything was evaluated and designed in advance with great care and precision. Paying attention to detail isn’t just a matter of diligence, it’s what guarantees lasting quality and value. From resurfacing the existing floor with dedicated treatments, to choosing the highest-performing resins, to laying out the perimeter, to the careful sourcing of every component, from a simple pipe to high-tech devices, every step contributes to the final result. It’s no surprise that some delays were expected, considering that certain components arrive from the most varied and remote corners of the world. Only this way, however, can we guarantee clean room users the kind of build accuracy that translates into reliability and high-level results.”

When will it be fully operational?

“In practice, it already is: some machines have been installed, and we’re already carrying out activities inside it. We’ve completed the fire prevention system, and we’re now working on the final cleaning of the space and integrating the last elements needed to obtain official ISO-6 certification. Once that work is finished, we’ll move on to the final cleaning of the space. Customers won’t have to wait long to fully enjoy its benefits.”