Inside a semiconductor ‘clean room’ at Japan’s top university

This picture taken on May 1, 2024 shows Tokyo University PhD student Kei Misumi (L) working in a clean room at Tokyo University in Tokyo. — AFP Relaxnews

To study semiconductors at Japan’s top university, first you need the right clothes – protective overalls, shoe covers, plastic gloves and a lightweight balaclava to keep your hair out of the way.

Then, surgical mask in place, you step inside an "air shower" to remove all the dust from your body that could potentially contaminate the precision equipment.