Issue

ESD shirt; Mass flow transmitter; Foot-operated dispenser; Autoranging meter...

The most important, and probably most obvious, criteria to consider when choosing the proper wiper for your cleanroom application are detailed in the table. But, sometimes it's the subtle qualities—the ones that don't pop out at you—that can make a difference in performance.

The need for ultra-pure chemicals in the processing of semiconductors is well known. One factor of contamination is the level of trace dissolved metallic contaminants in semiconductor processing fluids. In particular, levels of iron, zinc, aluminum and sodium are considered contaminants for some critical semiconductor processes.

For the electronics cleanroom industry, the familiar "Moore's Law," which calls for a doubling of chip performance every 18 months, is the industry's driving force and Achilles Heel.

The first wave of 300 millimeter (300 mm) semiconductor wafer fabrication factories has arrived, complete with front opening unified pods (FOUPs) and the beginnings of fully automated material handling systems (AMHS).

In a recent speech to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Michael Kahn, esq. chairman, Board of Governors, California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), told California Business owners that they had to get use to rolling blackouts.

Containment of hazardous drugs requires a total understanding of the drug substance form in terms of solid, liquid, gas or micro aerosol. If the physical form is not considered it will be difficult to measure the potential exposure and, in many cases, will lead to underestimating the potential risk.

Semiconductor facilities and manufacturing sites of other precision industries use large numbers of membrane filters, which consist of a continuous, solid sheet that is rendered porous by one of several methods.

We all know someone, or perhaps even a group of people, in constant, subliminal competition to have the best of everything first.

Modular cleanroom plenum; Acceleration and analysis architecture for ion implanter; Microbiological water filtering...

The cleanroom apparel service, once a specialist industry, is moving into the hands of the large industrial laundries. And now that your service selection may be based more on price, it is important to know that, when evaluating and selecting a cleanroom apparel service provider, there are two components to the cost of doing business: the quoted cost-per-change, and the sometimes not-so-obvious ancillary charge.

CHICAGO—Two antibacterial compounds have found a way out of cleanrooms and onto toothbrushes.

Continue a tradition of excellence by making a nomination to the 2001 CleanRooms Hall of Fame.

CHASKA, MN—Entegris Inc. recently announced that it has joined the Center for Microcontamination Control (CMC) at the University of Arizona. The company says it hopes to broaden its research and development as well as its business offerings.

GRESHAM, OR/SANTA CLARA, CA—The threat of water shortages throughout the country is causing semiconductor fabs to take a step back and evaluate where their water comes from and how it can be preserved.

MEDFORD, MA—Scientists at Tufts University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) believe they have developed an airborne bacteria-killing coating that can be applied to everything from cleanroom materials, like polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene, to plastics, metals, ceramics and fabric.

TORONTO—The courtship was unique, and if there had been a personal ad leading up to the initial encounter, it may have sounded something like this: Outgoing HEPA filter-maker seeks open-minded portable shelter manufacturer for alternative cleanroom experiences without space commitment.

PORTLAND, OR—With barely a hiccup in day-to-day operations, Protocol Inc. (Portland, OR), a cleanroom maintenance company, and Cleanroom Sciences Inc. (Phoenix, AZ), a standards and procedures specialist, have merged.

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ—The rumor mill is now officially closed: The Texwipe Co. and Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) announced in late May that ITW would purchase Texwipe for an undisclosed sum.

SAN JOSE, CA—A recent market study by Frost & Sullivan forecasts the $1.13-billion industrial and commercial air filtration market will grow at a modest 5 percent clip through 2007.

ARLINGTON, VA—Are contamination control end users demanding too much from barrier isolation technology?

HILLSBORO, OR—INTEL HAS opened the world's first 300 mm research and pathfinding lab, RP1, where the company plans to demonstrate new technologies and develop prototypes for advancing technologies beyond the 0.13-micron generation. The facility stands two stories tall and houses more than 56,000 square feet of ISO Class 3 (Class 1) cleanroom space.

Goin' clubbin'; Microlab to commercialize magnetic MEMS technology; SEMI and SISA merge; Cartridge market grows...