By Meg Villeneuve

SAN JOSE, CA — For the first time at CleanRooms West (October 8 – 10), representatives from IDC will discuss how to retrofit an existing cleanroom for 300 mm .

“Many fab owners are getting into 300 mm by building new facilities. However, 300 mm requires different things on the factory floor from preceding 150 – 200 mm technologies. Even manufacturers who are not yet involved with 300 mm are facing the need to accommodate advanced manufacturing technologies through the remodel of existing cleanroom facilities,” says Ted Johnson, IDC. “As process tools become larger, more expensive and complex, the nature of remodel requirement is changing.”

IDC says there are some hurdles to overcome when retrofitting but it is possible to build a 300 mm cleanroom within a space that was originally designed for either 150 or 200 mm technologies.

New to CleanRooms West is Victor Neuman of Alfa Tech. Neuman will discuss how to design a cleanroom that can withstand rolling blackouts. “High electrical prices and uncertain reliability have affected cleanroom operators in countries around the world. These lessons are being learned all over again in California during its current power crisis. Reliability, quality and availability of electric power is vitally important to all clean room operations. Any stoppage of air circulation in the clean room would allow for contamination,” says Neuman.

The exhibit runs on October 9-10, 2001 and will be held in San Jose, California at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Attendees — cleanroom technology users in the semiconductor, microelectronics, life sciences markets — will rub elbows with more than 190 exhibiting cleanroom technology suppliers keyed into the worldwide contamination control market.

Conference sessions will commence on Monday, October 8 and end on Wednesday, October 10.

To find out more about CleanRooms West and other CleanRooms events, call 603.891.9267.