WHATS NEW IN CLEANROOMS

WHAT`S NEW IN CLEANROOMS

Keithley Instruments gets Class 1,000 test facility

Syracuse, NY–Clestra Cleanroom Inc. recently completed a test facility for Keithley Instruments (Solon, OH), which manufactures “Quantox” direct wafer measurement machines. The facility consists of a Class 1,000 Quantox testing area with independent testing bays, including service chase process support areas (i.e., gowning, decontamination airlock, return/service chase and clean entryway). Room for future expansion has been designed into the south wall of the testing area. Clestra furnished and installed the complete cleanroom. ULPA filters and Clestra`s aluminum honeycomb double wall were utilized, as well as its AdvancAir III environmental control system, which included two-speed fans for off-use utility savings.

OnTrak Systems expands its R&D cleanroom

San Jose, CA–OnTrak Systems, Inc., a provider of semiconductor capital equipment for chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), has expanded capabilities and cleanroom space at its R&D facility in Milpitas, CA. Its primary product, the DSS-200, is a double-sided, single-wafer cleaning system used in a variety of advanced applications. In addition to housing additional R&D space for both the company`s cleaning and polishing product lines and a dedicated metrology lab, the 4,900-ft2 cleanroom offers increased customer demonstration capability. Originally 350 ft2, the Class 10 demonstration lab has been expanded to 600 ft2 and includes two DSS-200 cleaning systems. The R&D facility also includes a 2,000-ft2 Class 10,000 cleaning R&D lab. An additional 2,000-ft2 Class 10,000 pre-production and sub-component testing area is dedicated to the Aurora polisher.

The company`s on-site metrology capability, which previously included a surface particle counter in the Class 10 cleaning lab and a large-stage atomic force microscope, has been augmented with the addition of a 300-ft2 Class 100 CMP metrology lab. This new lab features more than 10 metrology tools, enabling technicians to perform thin film measurement, surface profiling, resistivity measurement and feature-size measurement after demonstration wafers have been polished and cleaned.

JMC completes Genus facility

Concord, MA–JMC Environmental Systems recently constructed an 85,000-ft2 facility for the manufacture of ion implanters for Genus, Inc. (Newburyport, MA.) The manufacturing area is the largest ever designed for Genus`s Ion Technology Division and includes a 20,000-ft2 cleanroom production area (Class 10,000); 560-ft2 wafer process area (Class 1,000); 500-ft2 applications lab (Class 10); and 680-ft2 of clean packaging rooms (Class 10,000). A special floor slab design was utilized to support equipment and reduce vibration, and the production area features a high bay 19-ft, clear height with 70-ft clear-span. Process utilities include N2, Helium, SF6, Argon, compressed, clean dry air and DI water. The architect for this facility was Woodbrier Associates.

McCarthy completes Motorola`s MOS-13/APRDL

Phoenix, AZ–The construction of Motorola`s most advanced semiconductor research and development and manufacturing facility was recently completed on schedule by the builder, McCarthy`s Southwest Division, in 18 months. Located in Austin, TX, the 800,000-ft2, state-of-the-industry facility consists of semiconductor manufacturing, research laboratory and office/support areas with 100,000 ft2 of Class 1 cleanroom space. After breaking ground in September 1993, the project team used fast-track construction to meet a tool-installation target date of February 1995. Computer chips needed to be rolling out the door in late 1995. Sections of the building had to be turned over as they were completed to give the owner early occupation. The first cleanroom areas began operation within 13 days of the original target date.

McCarthy conducted protocol classes for all workers, some 4,000 in all. Instruction defined requirements for each activity as the building progressed through increasingly cleaner levels of construction. According to McCarthy project director Rob Langhoff: “Whether it was hammering or drilling, it was stipulated what action to take. Sometimes vacuum-equipped tools would be enough. Other times, the entire work area would need to be enclosed in a tent to keep particles out of the air stream.”

Another special challenge was maintaining the construction schedule while incorporating the many design changes needed to meet changing technological requirements. Over 2,300 major modifications were made during the construction period. The engineer for the project, Industrial Design Corporation of Austin, and the architect, Graeber, Simmons, Cowan, also of Austin, maintained full-time, on-site design.

Overall Cleanroom Division opens its second cleanroom

Everett, WA–Overall Cleanroom Division, part of Overall Laundry Services, Inc., has opened a new Class 1 cleanroom garment processing facility in Corvallis, OR. The company has operated a second cleanroom laundry in Seattle since 1983. A replica of Overall`s first cleanroom, the Corvallis facility provides garments that test Class A (ASTM Method) or Category I (Helmke Drum) 99.99 percent of the time. The new raised floor, full ULPA-filtered ceiling room has real-time constant monitoring of filters, dryer filters, washers, DI water system, temperature, humidity, room and garment particulate counts. Eighteen megohm, RO/DI water, filtered to 0.1 &#181m, is used throughout the process and tested regularly for TOC`s bacteria and silica. Garments are dried according to temperature specifications from fabric manufacturers. They are reinspected prior to folding and packaging. testing is done per IES-RP-CC003.2 and Federal Standard 209E. Tests must be within specifications or the entire batch is reprocessed.Garments are tracked via a bar code system, so history about age, number of processings, number of mends, etc., is available to Overall, the customer and even garment and fabric manufacturers. The company maintains a strict ISO-friendly Statistical Process Control program and makes the results available to customers.

Johnson Matthey Electronics opens its new Class 10 cleanroom

San Jose, CA–Johnson Matthey Electronics announced the opening of its new Class 10, 3,500 ft2 cleanroom as part of its manufacturing services business for the assembly, cleaning and packaging of components requiring an ultra clean environment. The new cleanroom features raised flooring, a JME-designed HEPA filter system, a change room with interlocking air showers for improved particulate reduction, and firelight windows for easy viewing that allows customers to conduct cleanroom audits without entering the assembly area. The facility also offers comprehensive analytical equipment and services such as SEM/ED AX, GDMS, atomic absorption, x-ray diffraction, microstructure analysis, alpha detectors, helium leak check, surface coatings/roughness analysis.

TI picks ionizers for its DMOS 5 facility

Berkeley, CA–Ion Systems` UltraClean ionizers have been selected by Texas Instruments for the Phase 2 expansion of its DMOS 5 facility in Dallas, TX. Ion Systems develops and manufactures air/nitrogen ionizers and instrumentation for controlling damage and contamination caused by static charge. The $350,000 order includes more than 700 network-controlled ceiling-mounted. The ionizers will be used within Class 1 and Class 10 areas of the facility.

Hodess wins two facility expansion contracts

Rumford, RI–Hodess Building Co. was recently awarded a contract to design/build a 37,000-ft2 expansion to Lockheed Sanders corporate microelectronics facility in Nashua, NH.

The project includes renovations to the existing center, as well as relocation and installation of equipment from other sites.

Hodess was also selected to design and build a 37,000-ft2 microelectronics facility expansion and a new 34,000-ft2 office building for Unitrode Corp. (Merrimack, NH).

The expansion features 17,000 ft2 of Class 100 cleanroom space. Hodess has developed a 27-step construction relocation program to complete the project without interrupting ongoing operations. The project also includes the renovation of 8,000 ft2 of additional area into a Class 100 cleanroom once the new addition is completed. Hodess will install and hook up all process tooling. The project is valued at approximately $10,000,000 and is scheduled for completion in February 1997.

New facility increases capacity for flip chips

Phoenix, AZ–Construction has begun on a 36,000-ft2 production facility to increase Flip Chip Technologies (FCT) capacity for contract flip chip wafer bumping by more than five times. With a capacity of 1.8-mm flip chips per day, FCT hopes to become the largest contract flip chip facility in the world. FCT–a joint venture of Delco Electronics and semiconductor equipment manufacturer Kulicke & Soffa Industries–will quadruple its wafer-bumping ability. FCT will use Delco Electronics` proprietary Flex On Cap (FOC) solder bumping process, a technology that currently produces more than 300,000 flip chips a day. The demand for flip chips is expected to increase at a staggering 38 percent compound annual growth rate over the next five years, according to Harry Hollack, FCT`s president. “Our new facility will help us provide even better service and expertise as we meet the huge demand for solder bumping technology. Mobile and performance products are going to become smaller and faster in the future, and we will be playing a big role in that,” he said.

Ashland Chemical announces new chemicals manufacturing facility

Dublin, OH–Ashland Chemical, a distributor of chemicals and plastics, has signed a letter of intent to purchase property to build a new, state-of-the-art, ultrahigh purity manufacturing and packaging facility in Pueblo, CO. According to the company, “the new facility will be the most advanced electronic chemicals manufacturing plant in the world. It will produce ultrahigh purity microelectronic chemicals and specialty blends and will be equipped with cleanroom packaging facilities,” says Robert Fleming, vice president and general manager of Ashland`s Electronic Chemicals Division. The new plant will double the company`s capacity for ultrahigh purity chemical production. Groundbreaking is expected early in 1997 with estimated start-up in 1998.–SE

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