Air handling systems are an essential part of semiconductor manufacturing, supporting contamination control throughout the fabrication process. Fans are widely used in applications such as air handling units, fan filter units (FFUs) and process exhaust systems, where extremly high standards of air purity, temperature and humidity control must be maintained. While conventional mechanically supported fans combined with high-efficiency filters are well established in these applications, magnetically levitated (maglev) fans are emerging as a promising technology for contamination-critical air handling.

Maglev fans enable contact-free rotor levitation and rotation, eliminating mechanical wear and the need for lubrication while providing precise active rotor position and speed control. These characteristics have the potential to enable their use in contamination-sensitive applications, including high-purity drying processes (e.g. air knives), next-generation FFUs and process gas circulation in ISO Class 1 mini-environments. However, their suitability for such applications requires quantitative particle emission data obtained under controlled operating conditions.

This work presents a comparative experimental study of particle shedding from mechanically supported and magnetically levitated fan technologies. A dedicated test bench was developed to perform reproducible particle emission measurements under ISO Class 1 conditions. Different fan bearing concepts, materials, rotational speeds, and volumetric flow rates were investigated using two particle measurement devices covering particle sizes from 10 nm and from 100 nm, respectively.

The results demonstrate that maglev fan technology exhibits particle emission compatible with ISO Class 1 requirements over a wide operating range. The presented methodology provides a robust framework for evaluating fan technologies and supports the qualification of maglev fans for future contamination-critical semiconductor air handling applications.