From dcchrist at wisc.edu Wed Jun 4 17:51:13 2014 From: dcchrist at wisc.edu (Daniel Christensen) Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 16:51:13 -0500 Subject: [labnetwork] Job Opening: Research User Facilities Director at University of Wisconsin-Madison Message-ID: <538F94D1.3070506@wisc.edu> *Job Opening: University of Wisconsin-Madison** Research User Facilities Director*** ** The UW Madison, College of Engineering (CoE), is currently recruiting for a Research User Facilities Director. Minimum salary is $90,000, depending on candidate's qualifications and experience, plus excellent benefits. The Research User Facilities Director will report to the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs and will be responsible for all aspects of managing the College of Engineering research user facilities which include, but are not limited to, the Materials Science Center, Soft Materials Laboratory and the Wisconsin Center for Applied Microelectronics. Candidates should have experience with successful program development, demonstrated knowledge and use of advanced characterization tools or micro-fabrication technologies, experience managing budgets and supervising personnel. Candidates should have a demonstrated commitment to excellence in scientific leadership For complete position descriptions and how to apply go to: http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/WebListing/Unclassified/PVLSummary.aspx?pvl_num=79754 UW-Madison is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Principal duties: The Research User Facilities Director will report to the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs and will be responsible for all aspects of managing the College of Engineering research user facilities which include, but are not limited to, the Materials Science Center, Soft Materials Laboratory and the Wisconsin Center for Applied Microelectronics. Principal Duties: * Construct a business plan for each research user facility that includes development of annual budgets, establishment of user rates, anticipated customer base and customer needs, staffing requirements, advisory boards, equipment inventory and capital budgets. * Maintain familiarity with current research practices and technological advances, to insure that CoE User Facilities remain at the forefront. * Work with facility users and College faculty to identify and obtain new equipment as needed, typically through participation in the development of equipment grant proposals. * Maintain facility equipment, negotiating and overseeing service contracts and equipment repairs as needed. Provide the College with an annual plan for equipment upkeep, rotation and the purchase of new equipment. * Supervise facility staff recommending staffing changes as needed. * Oversee and manage the daily operations of all research user facilities. * Assist the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs in the review of faculty requests for major equipment purchases and the transition (sale, movement, retirement) of any facility or faculty research equipment within the College. * Assist the Associate Dean for Research Administration and Policy with the review and approval of Facility User Agreements with industry or other outside entities. -- Daniel C. Christensen Laboratory Manager WI Center for Applied Microelectronics University of WI-Madison 608-262-6877 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shott at stanford.edu Thu Jun 5 15:08:58 2014 From: shott at stanford.edu (John Shott) Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 12:08:58 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... Message-ID: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> Labnetwork Community: Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original anhydrous material. For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, John From betemc at rit.edu Fri Jun 6 07:44:02 2014 From: betemc at rit.edu (Bruce Tolleson) Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 11:44:02 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Ion Implanter Varian 350D Message-ID: <91CE152971DAD64F890FD8BE59734DB72FBEACAD@ex03mail01.ad.rit.edu> We have a Varian 350D Ion Implanter. We are using Phosphine and Boron-tri-fluoride in our processes with a diffusion pumped source and a wet backing pump (Fomblin serviced). We have noticed over the years that our wet pump will only last about 4-6 months before needing a rebuild. We check pH regularly, and flush and fill when needed. We find that we have a crystallization of sorts occurring in the pump that is killing the pumps. Is there anyone out there that is using this tool or this process that has had or is having this issue and has rectified it? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank You, Bruce E. Tolleson Rochester Institute of Technology 82 Lomb Memorial Drive, Bldg 17-2627 Rochester, NY 14623-5604 (585) 478-3836 [http://www.rit.edu/~962www/logos/tiger_walking_rit_color.jpg] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2550 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From dgrimard at umich.edu Fri Jun 6 09:54:43 2014 From: dgrimard at umich.edu (Dennis Grimard) Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 09:54:43 -0400 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... In-Reply-To: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> Message-ID: John: As usual you ask the interesting questions. Anhydrous HCL is not corrosive to the typical SS that is used for wetted parts in vacuum and delivery HPM systems. However, once it is exposed to air and hydrolyzes with the water in the air it becomes HCL acid and then is corrosive to the SS and most everything it touches. No matter what the quality of the part, they all leak a very small amount. That leakage is what causes the eventual failure of the part since the SS is corroded as the leak occurs. So, with HCL (an other gasses that act in the same manner), it is always a matter of time before they fail ... not if ... when. The time scale is tens of years in my estimation. That is, if a system is in service for tens of years you will experience a catastrophic failure of some component. In industry, they usually avoid this problem since very few systems are in use that long before being ripped out for an upgrade or reconfiguration of a manufacturing floor. In universities we have this problem because our systems stay in service much longer and in many cases without proper oversight and maintenance. The best defense is to use as much welded components as possible. That is avoid mechanical components if a welded component can be used. At the points where there are mechanical fittings / components they need to be in ventilated enclosures so when and if the leak occurs it can be contained. As for when a part fails, it typically means a significant amount of hardware needs to be inspected / replaced since the HCL acid is very corrosive and makes a real mess. There is not a day that goes by that I am not worried about such components (HCL, DCS, CL2, HBR ...) and their eventual failure. I don.t pray but I do worry ... alot. My approach at Michigan is to work hard on preparing the staff for the eventuality that is a failure. Good hardware, weekly safety meetings, continues preparation of documentation ... drills. Not sure that I really added any value to what you already knew ... but I though that a good conversation on this topic may help us all ... this is my starting point for that conversation ... I look forward to the comments of others ... Thanks John ... On Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 3:08 PM, John Shott wrote: > Labnetwork Community: > > Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of > equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our > experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best > efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it seems > as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool near a > mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of the > original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen chloride > ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original anhydrous > material. > > For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you > recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of > neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with > thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the entire > assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? > > Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, > > John > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > -- Dennis S Grimard, Ph.D Managing Director, Lurie Nanofabrication Facility University of Michigan 1246D EECS Building 1301 Beal Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122 (734) 368-7172 (Cell) (734) 647-1781 (Fax) http://www.lnf.umich.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tbritton at criticalsystemsinc.com Fri Jun 6 16:07:57 2014 From: tbritton at criticalsystemsinc.com (Tom Britton) Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 20:07:57 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... In-Reply-To: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> Message-ID: <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E01157FE7@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> Hi John, Sorry to hear about your HCl issue. As we all know, HCl is very difficult to manage once it escapes. Neutralizing is seldom effective in a clean room environment, and replacement of metal components that have come in contact with the HCL is the proper way to keep it from spreading. If the proper leak test procedures are in place, one thing that could be causing the leaks is residual moisture that may be present due to either low quality purge gas or inadequate purging. To solve the problem of how to prevent leaks with HCl and other corrosives these are the questions I would start with. * What is the quality of the purge gas? * Are you using a purifier on the purge gas? * Is H2O or O2 analysis done on the gas system prior to gas introduction? * How many purge cycles on gas line prior to gas introduction? * How many purge cycles post cylinder change are being done? If you want, I can set up a conference call with Troy Reese, who was the gas systems manager at ON Semi before he came to us, and we can go over these questions. Troy is very knowledgeable in these situations and we would be happy to help wherever possible. He is also presenting with you at the Bootie Camp coming up at the UGIM conference, so we can talk about it there as well if necessary. See you at Harvard. Thank you! Tom Britton Director of Sales Critical Systems, Inc. Direct: 208-890-1417 Office: 877-572-5515 www.CriticalSystemsInc.com [logo for email signature png] -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 1:09 PM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... Labnetwork Community: Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original anhydrous material. For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, John _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9501 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From shott at stanford.edu Fri Jun 6 16:55:26 2014 From: shott at stanford.edu (John Shott) Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 13:55:26 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... In-Reply-To: <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E01157FE7@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E01157FE7@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> Message-ID: <53922ABE.9010907@stanford.edu> Tom, Craig, and Dennis: Thanks for each of your comments. I should have thought to mention more about the details of our gases: We are using electronic grade HCl specified to be 99.995% pure. While I think that there is one grade higher, at $1200 a cylinder it should be pretty good ... Note: this is also set up with a DISS fitting (CGA 634 for HCl). For our purge gas we use 10% He in a balance of nitrogen, again with a DISS fitting. Each of the component gases is of UH grade that, I believe translates in to: Nitrogen: 02 < 1ppm H20 < 3ppm THC < 0.5ppm Helium: 02 < 1ppm H20 < 2ppm THC < 0.5ppm After a cylinder change, we do a He leak check of the purge gas following each cylinder change. I think that we are currently using 30 purge cycles both pre- and post-purge ... it sounds as if that should be bumped up. While I believe that we have hastelloy running between cabinet and tool, I believe that the components in the panel are all SS ... but I believe are electopolished to We have a manifolded two-cylinder (plus purge) cabinet that supplies an epi reactor. It is not uncommon to use a 60 pound cylinder of HCl in a period of 1-2 weeks ... so, we unfortunately, have a number of chances for problems each year. Thanks again for all of your input, John On 6/6/2014 1:07 PM, Tom Britton wrote: > > Hi John, > > Sorry to hear about your HCl issue. As we all know, HCl is very > difficult to manage once it escapes. Neutralizing is seldom effective > in a clean room environment, and replacement of metal components that > have come in contact with the HCL is the proper way to keep it from > spreading. If the proper leak test procedures are in place, one thing > that could be causing the leaks is residual moisture that may be > present due to either low quality purge gas or inadequate purging. > > To solve the problem of how to prevent leaks with HCl and other > corrosives these are the questions I would start with. > > ?What is the quality of the purge gas? > > ?Are you using a purifier on the purge gas? > > ?Is H2O or O2 analysis done on the gas system prior to gas introduction? > > ?How many purge cycles on gas line prior to gas introduction? > > ?How many purge cycles post cylinder change are being done? > > If you want, I can set up a conference call with Troy Reese, who was > the gas systems manager at ON Semi before he came to us, and we can go > over these questions. Troy is very knowledgeable in these situations > and we would be happy to help wherever possible. He is also presenting > with you at the Bootie Camp coming up at the UGIM conference, so we > can talk about it there as well if necessary. > > See you at Harvard. > > Thank you! > > Tom Britton > > Director of Sales > > /Critical Systems, Inc./ > > Direct: 208-890-1417 > > Office: 877-572-5515 > > /www.CriticalSystemsInc.com/ /__/ > > /__/ > > logo for email signature png > > -----Original Message----- > From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu > [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 1:09 PM > To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > Labnetwork Community: > > Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of > equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our > experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best > efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it > seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool > near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of > the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen > chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original > anhydrous material. > > For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you > recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of > neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with > thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the > entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? > > Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, > > John > > _______________________________________________ > > labnetwork mailing list > > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 9501 bytes Desc: not available URL: From shott at stanford.edu Fri Jun 6 17:10:19 2014 From: shott at stanford.edu (John Shott) Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 14:10:19 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Ion Implanter Varian 350D In-Reply-To: <91CE152971DAD64F890FD8BE59734DB72FBEACAD@ex03mail01.ad.rit.edu> References: <91CE152971DAD64F890FD8BE59734DB72FBEACAD@ex03mail01.ad.rit.edu> Message-ID: <53922E3B.2070405@stanford.edu> Bruce: While it has been a number of years, we used to have a Varian 350D in which we ran phospine, arsine and boron trifluoride. It also had a DP on the source that was backed by a little 5.6 CFM (as I recall) Alcatel mechanical pump. To the best of my knowledge, however, I don't think that we ever ran Fomblin in that pump. I think that we always ran it only on normal hydrocarbon "white" oil. My recollection, however, was that we only changed oil in the backing pump every 4-6 months and used to get years of life out of it. We used to change pump oil when that little pump couldn't hold the foreline pressure lower than about 30 microns of mercury. I may be able to dig up some old logs to confirm that those numbers are about right. I also vaguely recall that we tried using Fomblin in a pump on a LPCVD nitride system at one point, got some sort of crystallization in that .... and went back to hyrdocarbon oil. Note: we DO use Fomblin in most of our pumps that are still wet pumps so I am not "anti-Fomblin" in any way. Hopefully someone who is a bit more of a chemist than I may be able to comment ... but I think that it may be worth asking the question: is Fomblin the best fluid to use in this application. Good luck, John On 6/6/2014 4:44 AM, Bruce Tolleson wrote: > > We have a Varian 350D Ion Implanter. We are using Phosphine and > Boron-tri-fluoride in our processes with a diffusion pumped source and > a wet backing pump (Fomblin serviced). We have noticed over the > years that our wet pump will only last about 4-6 months before needing > a rebuild. We check pH regularly, and flush and fill when needed. We > find that we have a crystallization of sorts occurring in the pump > that is killing the pumps. > > Is there anyone out there that is using this tool or this process that > has had or is having this issue and has rectified it? > > Any suggestions are appreciated. > > Thank You, > > Bruce E. Tolleson > > Rochester Institute of Technology > > 82 Lomb Memorial Drive, Bldg 17-2627 > > Rochester, NY 14623-5604 > > (585) 478-3836 > > http://www.rit.edu/~962www/logos/tiger_walking_rit_color.jpg > > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 2550 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Vincent.Luciani at nist.gov Fri Jun 6 20:31:40 2014 From: Vincent.Luciani at nist.gov (Luciani, Vincent) Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2014 00:31:40 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Ion Implanter Varian 350D In-Reply-To: <53922E3B.2070405@stanford.edu> References: <91CE152971DAD64F890FD8BE59734DB72FBEACAD@ex03mail01.ad.rit.edu>, <53922E3B.2070405@stanford.edu> Message-ID: <98CC9B51-241F-434B-A163-FA9053083B3D@nist.gov> Hello Bruce, John may have something there. I was the caretaker of an ion implanter for over 10 years using the same fluorides with a DP and a wet pump with "white oil" . It was used heavily and the pumps lasted many years at a time. Not an explanation but a similar story. Vince On Jun 6, 2014, at 7:27 PM, "John Shott" > wrote: Bruce: While it has been a number of years, we used to have a Varian 350D in which we ran phospine, arsine and boron trifluoride. It also had a DP on the source that was backed by a little 5.6 CFM (as I recall) Alcatel mechanical pump. To the best of my knowledge, however, I don't think that we ever ran Fomblin in that pump. I think that we always ran it only on normal hydrocarbon "white" oil. My recollection, however, was that we only changed oil in the backing pump every 4-6 months and used to get years of life out of it. We used to change pump oil when that little pump couldn't hold the foreline pressure lower than about 30 microns of mercury. I may be able to dig up some old logs to confirm that those numbers are about right. I also vaguely recall that we tried using Fomblin in a pump on a LPCVD nitride system at one point, got some sort of crystallization in that .... and went back to hyrdocarbon oil. Note: we DO use Fomblin in most of our pumps that are still wet pumps so I am not "anti-Fomblin" in any way. Hopefully someone who is a bit more of a chemist than I may be able to comment ... but I think that it may be worth asking the question: is Fomblin the best fluid to use in this application. Good luck, John On 6/6/2014 4:44 AM, Bruce Tolleson wrote: We have a Varian 350D Ion Implanter. We are using Phosphine and Boron-tri-fluoride in our processes with a diffusion pumped source and a wet backing pump (Fomblin serviced). We have noticed over the years that our wet pump will only last about 4-6 months before needing a rebuild. We check pH regularly, and flush and fill when needed. We find that we have a crystallization of sorts occurring in the pump that is killing the pumps. Is there anyone out there that is using this tool or this process that has had or is having this issue and has rectified it? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank You, Bruce E. Tolleson Rochester Institute of Technology 82 Lomb Memorial Drive, Bldg 17-2627 Rochester, NY 14623-5604 (585) 478-3836 _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ATT00001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2550 bytes Desc: ATT00001.jpg URL: From vozguz at sabanciuniv.edu Sat Jun 7 08:46:45 2014 From: vozguz at sabanciuniv.edu (Volkan Ozguz) Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2014 15:46:45 +0300 Subject: [labnetwork] Ion Implanter Varian 350D In-Reply-To: <98CC9B51-241F-434B-A163-FA9053083B3D@nist.gov> References: <91CE152971DAD64F890FD8BE59734DB72FBEACAD@ex03mail01.ad.rit.edu> <53922E3B.2070405@stanford.edu> <98CC9B51-241F-434B-A163-FA9053083B3D@nist.gov> Message-ID: <-7231724723888823317@unknownmsgid> Hello Bruce Same here too! I have operated, repaired several early Varian implanters between 1980-1995. We didn't use Fomblin and we didn't have any particular problems even under heavy usage. This may be a mismatch with Fomblin and parts of an older type pump. Volkan Volkan Ozguz Sabanci Univ Nanotechnology Research and Application Center Tel: 90 216 483 9834 Email: vozguz at sabanciuniv.edu On 7 Haz 2014, at 15:31, "Luciani, Vincent" wrote: Hello Bruce, John may have something there. I was the caretaker of an ion implanter for over 10 years using the same fluorides with a DP and a wet pump with "white oil" . It was used heavily and the pumps lasted many years at a time. Not an explanation but a similar story. Vince On Jun 6, 2014, at 7:27 PM, "John Shott" wrote: Bruce: While it has been a number of years, we used to have a Varian 350D in which we ran phospine, arsine and boron trifluoride. It also had a DP on the source that was backed by a little 5.6 CFM (as I recall) Alcatel mechanical pump. To the best of my knowledge, however, I don't think that we ever ran Fomblin in that pump. I think that we always ran it only on normal hydrocarbon "white" oil. My recollection, however, was that we only changed oil in the backing pump every 4-6 months and used to get years of life out of it. We used to change pump oil when that little pump couldn't hold the foreline pressure lower than about 30 microns of mercury. I may be able to dig up some old logs to confirm that those numbers are about right. I also vaguely recall that we tried using Fomblin in a pump on a LPCVD nitride system at one point, got some sort of crystallization in that .... and went back to hyrdocarbon oil. Note: we DO use Fomblin in most of our pumps that are still wet pumps so I am not "anti-Fomblin" in any way. Hopefully someone who is a bit more of a chemist than I may be able to comment ... but I think that it may be worth asking the question: is Fomblin the best fluid to use in this application. Good luck, John On 6/6/2014 4:44 AM, Bruce Tolleson wrote: We have a Varian 350D Ion Implanter. We are using Phosphine and Boron-tri-fluoride in our processes with a diffusion pumped source and a wet backing pump (Fomblin serviced). We have noticed over the years that our wet pump will only last about 4-6 months before needing a rebuild. We check pH regularly, and flush and fill when needed. We find that we have a crystallization of sorts occurring in the pump that is killing the pumps. Is there anyone out there that is using this tool or this process that has had or is having this issue and has rectified it? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank You, Bruce E. Tolleson Rochester Institute of Technology 82 Lomb Memorial Drive, Bldg 17-2627 Rochester, NY 14623-5604 (585) 478-3836 _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing listlabnetwork at mtl.mit.eduhttps://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tbritton at criticalsystemsinc.com Sun Jun 8 16:35:28 2014 From: tbritton at criticalsystemsinc.com (Tom Britton) Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2014 20:35:28 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... In-Reply-To: <53922ABE.9010907@stanford.edu> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E01157FE7@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> <53922ABE.9010907@stanford.edu> Message-ID: <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E0115867D@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> Hi John, Based on what you wrote below, we would recommend changing the pre and post purge cycles to 60 from a safety standpoint; 30 is not enough. 50 is recommended on all HPM's for safety reasons, and from a quality standpoint on post cylinder change purge cycles you want to make sure any residual atmosphere is gone, therefore 60 is the standard Troy used at ON Semi for the post purge on all corrosives. He also recommend you look at the heel weights (what's left in the cylinder) as sometimes running the bottles too low can cause issues. If you're unsure of what the heel weight should be, ask the gas supplier. Typically 10% is a good number, so on a 60 lb cylinder most manufacturers would recommend changing the cylinder at 6 lbs remaining in the cylinder, but it's common to increase the heel if contamination occurs at the pigtail connection. For HCl, HBR and DCS it is not uncommon to increase the heel from 10% to 15% just to alleviate contamination issues. Hope this helps. Feel free to call us if you want to discuss this further in depth. Enjoy the day. Thank you! Tom Britton Director of Sales Critical Systems, Inc. Direct: 208-890-1417 Office: 877-572-5515 www.CriticalSystemsInc.com [logo for email signature png] From: John Shott [mailto:shott at stanford.edu] Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 2:55 PM To: Tom Britton; labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... Tom, Craig, and Dennis: Thanks for each of your comments. I should have thought to mention more about the details of our gases: We are using electronic grade HCl specified to be 99.995% pure. While I think that there is one grade higher, at $1200 a cylinder it should be pretty good ... Note: this is also set up with a DISS fitting (CGA 634 for HCl). For our purge gas we use 10% He in a balance of nitrogen, again with a DISS fitting. Each of the component gases is of UH grade that, I believe translates in to: Nitrogen: 02 < 1ppm H20 < 3ppm THC < 0.5ppm Helium: 02 < 1ppm H20 < 2ppm THC < 0.5ppm After a cylinder change, we do a He leak check of the purge gas following each cylinder change. I think that we are currently using 30 purge cycles both pre- and post-purge ... it sounds as if that should be bumped up. While I believe that we have hastelloy running between cabinet and tool, I believe that the components in the panel are all SS ... but I believe are electopolished to We have a manifolded two-cylinder (plus purge) cabinet that supplies an epi reactor. It is not uncommon to use a 60 pound cylinder of HCl in a period of 1-2 weeks ... so, we unfortunately, have a number of chances for problems each year. Thanks again for all of your input, John On 6/6/2014 1:07 PM, Tom Britton wrote: Hi John, Sorry to hear about your HCl issue. As we all know, HCl is very difficult to manage once it escapes. Neutralizing is seldom effective in a clean room environment, and replacement of metal components that have come in contact with the HCL is the proper way to keep it from spreading. If the proper leak test procedures are in place, one thing that could be causing the leaks is residual moisture that may be present due to either low quality purge gas or inadequate purging. To solve the problem of how to prevent leaks with HCl and other corrosives these are the questions I would start with. * What is the quality of the purge gas? * Are you using a purifier on the purge gas? * Is H2O or O2 analysis done on the gas system prior to gas introduction? * How many purge cycles on gas line prior to gas introduction? * How many purge cycles post cylinder change are being done? If you want, I can set up a conference call with Troy Reese, who was the gas systems manager at ON Semi before he came to us, and we can go over these questions. Troy is very knowledgeable in these situations and we would be happy to help wherever possible. He is also presenting with you at the Bootie Camp coming up at the UGIM conference, so we can talk about it there as well if necessary. See you at Harvard. Thank you! Tom Britton Director of Sales Critical Systems, Inc. Direct: 208-890-1417 Office: 877-572-5515 www.CriticalSystemsInc.com [logo for email signature png] -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 1:09 PM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... Labnetwork Community: Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original anhydrous material. For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, John _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9501 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From linda.macks at unsw.edu.au Mon Jun 9 02:18:53 2014 From: linda.macks at unsw.edu.au (Linda Macks) Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2014 06:18:53 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] metal oxide powders Message-ID: Hi all, I would appreciate any comments about safe handling of metal oxide powders which seem to have very low exposure limits for airborne particulates. Our particular concerns relate to In2O3 powder generated after e-beam evaporation of In2O3. Many thanks, Linda Dr Linda Macks Facility Manager, ANFF-NSW Australian National Fabrication Facility School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications University of New South Wales UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Phone: +61 (2) 9385 7845 Fax: +61 (2) 9385 5114 Email: linda.macks at unsw.edu.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jrweaver at purdue.edu Mon Jun 9 08:43:35 2014 From: jrweaver at purdue.edu (Weaver, John R) Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2014 12:43:35 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... In-Reply-To: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> Message-ID: <6A848421F695C54A9210C1A873C96AC21300E6DA@WPVEXCMBX04.purdue.lcl> John - I've had experiences (certainly plural :)) with both external and internal leaks. For an internal leak, where moisture has gained access to the piping, I have always replaced the piping components up to the point where the leak was blocked - a valve, etc. I use valves with Hastelloy wetted surfaces (sometimes called Hastelloy trim), which is not impervious to HCl corrosion but certainly holds up better. For external leaks, the key is to neutralize the surfaces as quickly as possible. In one instance we had to replace many components because we didn't neutralize the surfaces more quickly. A mild base works well for neutralization - something with a pH in the 9 range. Then a thorough rinse to remove any salts is necessary. We run all of the gas cabinet exhausts for chloride gas cabinets through our plastic exhaust system, so we don't have to worry about exhaust. If you use a metal exhaust on the gas cabinet where the leak occurred, I'd carefully inspect the exhaust for a month or two after the incident. I hope this helps. John John R. Weaver Facility Manager Birck Nanotechnology Center Purdue University jrweaver at purdue.edu nano.purdue.edu ________________________________________ From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] on behalf of John Shott [shott at stanford.edu] Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 3:08 PM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... Labnetwork Community: Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original anhydrous material. For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, John _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From roberthamilton at berkeley.edu Tue Jun 10 11:49:42 2014 From: roberthamilton at berkeley.edu (Bob Hamilton) Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 08:49:42 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl In-Reply-To: <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E0115867D@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E01157FE7@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> <53922ABE.9010907@stanford.edu> <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E0115867D@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> Message-ID: <53972916.2000301@berkeley.edu> Lab Network Colleagues, The thread about HCl corrosion comes at a timely time for the Berkeley NanoLab as we are about to commission an epi system. As noted by others the issue with chlorine corrosion of ferrous metals and nickel involves water vapor as a contaminant. The combination results in incipient chlorine corrosion, an endless cycle of corrosion because of the chemistry involved. Iron reacts with chlorine to form a chloride which in turn reacts with water to form an oxide thus releasing the Cl- to continue the corrosion of new metal. Once this cycle begins the only way to stop it is to remove the surfaces involved. I have heard some metallurgist use the term "cancering" to describe this corrosion. At Berkeley we had good luck with our acid gas plumbing which was typically done in 316 and 321 SS components and tubing. I attribute our success to a policy of never intervening in an acid gas line without a 24 hour N2 purge before when possible and a 24 hours purge after intervention. We also took steps to flow N2 through pigtails to our CGA and later our DISS cylinder connections when changing gas cylinders. DISS crush gaskets were inspected at every cylinder change. Perhaps a quirk, it was my policy to deliver the DISS crush gaskets to the lab director for inspection, good third-party verification; perhaps like a cat delivering the dead mouse. We also coupon, i.e. saw open, fittings and valves when we modify a gas delivery line to see if we have issues. Now, with more modern purge panels we've obviated the 24 hour policy. It's worth the time and effort to do extensive purge cycles when dealing with the acid gases. We currently use 50 pump/purges which take about an hour to complete. Still, one cannot completely replace time by purge. Some years ago I heard a presentation which noted the use of 317L SS tubing for chlorine and HCl delivery. This is a molybdenum-containing SS alloy. We experimented with oribtially welding 317 to 316 and 321. A third-party verified weld integrity. Regrettably, fittings for purge panels and connections are not made in 317 so this has to be considered before using 317. I suspect there is some variance in experience with Cl2 and HCl delivery because gas purity varies by grade and supplier. I have no experience with using cartridge purifiers to clean up an acid gas (we do use N2 and H2 purifiers in selected applications). One would guess these would reduce corrosion and may prove cost effective by permitting a slightly lower grade of gas. Perhaps someone on "the list" can share experience about their experience with purifiers? Regards, Bob Hamilton -- Robert Hamilton University of California at Berkeley Marvell NanoLab Equipment Eng. Mgr. Room 520 Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley, CA 94720-1754 bob at eecs.berkeley.edu Phone: 510-809-8600 Mobile: 510-325-7557 (Emergencies only) e-mail preferred On 6/8/2014 1:35 PM, Tom Britton wrote: > > Hi John, > > Based on what you wrote below, we would recommend changing the pre and > post purge cycles to 60 from a safety standpoint; 30 is not enough. 50 > is recommended on all HPM's for safety reasons, and from a quality > standpoint on post cylinder change purge cycles you want to make sure > any residual atmosphere is gone, therefore 60 is the standard Troy > used at ON Semi for the post purge on all corrosives. He also > recommend you look at the heel weights (what's left in the cylinder) > as sometimes running the bottles too low can cause issues. If you're > unsure of what the heel weight should be, ask the gas supplier. > Typically 10% is a good number, so on a 60 lb cylinder most > manufacturers would recommend changing the cylinder at 6 lbs remaining > in the cylinder, but it's common to increase the heel if contamination > occurs at the pigtail connection. For HCl, HBR and DCS it is not > uncommon to increase the heel from 10% to 15% just to alleviate > contamination issues. > > Hope this helps. Feel free to call us if you want to discuss this > further in depth. > > > Enjoy the day. > > Thank you! > > Tom Britton > > Director of Sales > > /Critical Systems, Inc./ > > Direct: 208-890-1417 > > Office: 877-572-5515 > > /www.CriticalSystemsInc.com/ /__/ > > /__/ > > logo for email signature png > > *From:*John Shott [mailto:shott at stanford.edu] > *Sent:* Friday, June 06, 2014 2:55 PM > *To:* Tom Britton; labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > *Subject:* Re: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > Tom, Craig, and Dennis: > > Thanks for each of your comments. I should have thought to mention > more about the details of our gases: > > We are using electronic grade HCl specified to be 99.995% pure. While > I think that there is one grade higher, at $1200 a cylinder it should > be pretty good ... > Note: this is also set up with a DISS fitting (CGA 634 for HCl). > > For our purge gas we use 10% He in a balance of nitrogen, again with a > DISS fitting. Each of the component gases is of UH grade that, I > believe translates in to: > > Nitrogen: > > 02 < 1ppm > H20 < 3ppm > THC < 0.5ppm > > Helium: > > 02 < 1ppm > H20 < 2ppm > THC < 0.5ppm > > After a cylinder change, we do a He leak check of the purge gas > following each cylinder change. I think that we are currently using > 30 purge cycles both pre- and post-purge ... it sounds as if that > should be bumped up. While I believe that we have hastelloy running > between cabinet and tool, I believe that the components in the panel > are all SS ... but I believe are electopolished to > > We have a manifolded two-cylinder (plus purge) cabinet that supplies > an epi reactor. It is not uncommon to use a 60 pound cylinder of HCl > in a period of 1-2 weeks ... so, we unfortunately, have a number of > chances for problems each year. > > Thanks again for all of your input, > > John > > On 6/6/2014 1:07 PM, Tom Britton wrote: > > Hi John, > > Sorry to hear about your HCl issue. As we all know, HCl is very > difficult to manage once it escapes. Neutralizing is seldom > effective in a clean room environment, and replacement of metal > components that have come in contact with the HCL is the proper > way to keep it from spreading. If the proper leak test procedures > are in place, one thing that could be causing the leaks is > residual moisture that may be present due to either low quality > purge gas or inadequate purging. > > To solve the problem of how to prevent leaks with HCl and other > corrosives these are the questions I would start with. > > ?What is the quality of the purge gas? > > ?Are you using a purifier on the purge gas? > > ?Is H2O or O2 analysis done on the gas system prior to gas > introduction? > > ?How many purge cycles on gas line prior to gas introduction? > > ?How many purge cycles post cylinder change are being done? > > If you want, I can set up a conference call with Troy Reese, who > was the gas systems manager at ON Semi before he came to us, and > we can go over these questions. Troy is very knowledgeable in > these situations and we would be happy to help wherever possible. > He is also presenting with you at the Bootie Camp coming up at the > UGIM conference, so we can talk about it there as well if necessary. > > See you at Harvard. > > Thank you! > > Tom Britton > > Director of Sales > > /Critical Systems, Inc./ > > Direct: 208-890-1417 > > Office: 877-572-5515 > > /www.CriticalSystemsInc.com/ > > // > > logo for email signature png > > -----Original Message----- > From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu > > [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 1:09 PM > To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > Labnetwork Community: > > Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a > number of equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At > least that is our experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication > Facility. Despite our best efforts to use quality components, do > proper leak checking, etc., it seems as if we end up with a leak > either in a gas cabinet or in a tool near a mass flow controller. > At that point, anything near the site of the original leak has > been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen chloride ... which, > I believe, is far more corrosive than the original anhydrous material. > > For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do > you recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means > of neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets > with thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you > replace the entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in > service, and pray? > > Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, > > John > > _______________________________________________ > > labnetwork mailing list > > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > > > > This body part will be downloaded on demand. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shott at stanford.edu Tue Jun 10 16:19:55 2014 From: shott at stanford.edu (John Shott) Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 13:19:55 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... In-Reply-To: <6A848421F695C54A9210C1A873C96AC21300E6DA@WPVEXCMBX04.purdue.lcl> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> <6A848421F695C54A9210C1A873C96AC21300E6DA@WPVEXCMBX04.purdue.lcl> Message-ID: <5397686B.5050107@stanford.edu> Labnetwork Community: First, I'd like to thank Chung Wing Leong, Dennis Grimard, Craig Cheney, Tom Britton and John Weaver for taking the time to respond to my query. I appreciate your collective expertise and input and am taking a number of things you suggested under careful consideration as we move forward. In the meantime, we have learned a bit more about this leak and I thought that I would share with you a bit more about what we have learned: First, the leak seems to have occurred at the joint between the valve body and the tube stub ... not, as we had originally feared and suspected at one of the VCR connection points. Nor did it occur at one of the orbital welds between the tube stub on the valve and a VCR gland. To me it is unusual to see a leak at that point in a valve ... particularly one that has not been in service very long. Second, this failure occurred downstream (on the tool side) of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve on the panel. Certainly on our panel, and in most auto-purge panels of this type, this valve is typically closed during bottle changes and similar leak checking activities. To be candid, this has been a bit of a blind spot for me: while I told you that we leak check the panel each time that we change a cylinder (which is true), now that I think about it more carefully, we don't have a mechanism for leak checking anything on the downstream side of this valve on a regular basis. In fact what we normally leak check is that portion of the panel that is upstream of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve. Since this is a manifolded cabinet that has two bottles feeding a single output line, there are actually a number of potential failure points that we do not regularly check that includes the output side of each pneumatically-controlled output valve, the manual quarter-turn valve in series with and downstream from the pneumatically-controlled output valve and the fittings associated with the tee in the manifold. As this cabinet has not been service for an extended period of time, those downstream fittings have likely been checked only twice: once by the cabinet manufacturer at their facility and once by us during the cabinet install. While our cabinet was helium leak checked and certified by a third-party to be less than 10^-9 SCCM leakage, is there a chance that we missed something then? I'm certainly wondering ... My guess is that I am not alone in having thought that we leak check the entire panel and all fittings each time we change a gas cylinder ... whereas there are likely several fittings and connection points that are not actually checked each time. I will certainly think about this in a new light ... Thanks, John On 6/9/2014 5:43 AM, Weaver, John R wrote: > John - > I've had experiences (certainly plural :)) with both external and internal leaks. For an internal leak, where moisture has gained access to the piping, I have always replaced the piping components up to the point where the leak was blocked - a valve, etc. I use valves with Hastelloy wetted surfaces (sometimes called Hastelloy trim), which is not impervious to HCl corrosion but certainly holds up better. > For external leaks, the key is to neutralize the surfaces as quickly as possible. In one instance we had to replace many components because we didn't neutralize the surfaces more quickly. A mild base works well for neutralization - something with a pH in the 9 range. Then a thorough rinse to remove any salts is necessary. > We run all of the gas cabinet exhausts for chloride gas cabinets through our plastic exhaust system, so we don't have to worry about exhaust. If you use a metal exhaust on the gas cabinet where the leak occurred, I'd carefully inspect the exhaust for a month or two after the incident. > I hope this helps. > John > > John R. Weaver > Facility Manager > Birck Nanotechnology Center > Purdue University > jrweaver at purdue.edu > nano.purdue.edu > ________________________________________ > From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] on behalf of John Shott [shott at stanford.edu] > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 3:08 PM > To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > Labnetwork Community: > > Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of > equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our > experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best > efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it > seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool > near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of > the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen > chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original > anhydrous material. > > For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you > recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of > neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with > thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the > entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? > > Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, > > John > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From mariusz.martyniuk at uwa.edu.au Tue Jun 10 22:21:34 2014 From: mariusz.martyniuk at uwa.edu.au (Mariusz Martyniuk) Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 10:21:34 +0800 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... In-Reply-To: <5397686B.5050107@stanford.edu> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> <6A848421F695C54A9210C1A873C96AC21300E6DA@WPVEXCMBX04.purdue.lcl> <5397686B.5050107@stanford.edu> Message-ID: <557C87D8E1F1AE4F9C0CD5B31CF5C2537A91AE0800@IS-WIN-383.staffad.uwa.edu.au> Dear John, To add to this story, in Western Australia procedurally we check the complete line before every use and process according to: 1. pump the line to vacuum and check for leaks 2. open cylinder and process 3. when done processing, pump the line to vacuum and fill it with nitrogen 4. line is filled with nitrogen when Cl is not in use. It is a pain processing like this, but we are able to get away with it as we are not using Cl on everyday basis. In addition, we do not leave dangerous gasses in the line over extended periods of time. This is a draconian approach and users have a tendency to rebel against it, but it has worked well for us with no leaks since it was adopted about 6 years ago. Cheers, Marius Mariusz Martyniuk ----------------------------- Research Professor, ANFF-WA Managing Director Microelectronics Research Group School of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, Rm 4.17, M018 The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA?6009, Australia Tel:?+61 8 6488 1905, Fax:?+61 8 6488 1095 Secretary Tel:?+61 8 6488 3801, Rm 1.73,?http://mrg.ee.uwa.edu.au -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott Sent: Wednesday, 11 June 2014 4:20 AM To: Weaver, John R; labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... Labnetwork Community: First, I'd like to thank Chung Wing Leong, Dennis Grimard, Craig Cheney, Tom Britton and John Weaver for taking the time to respond to my query. I appreciate your collective expertise and input and am taking a number of things you suggested under careful consideration as we move forward. In the meantime, we have learned a bit more about this leak and I thought that I would share with you a bit more about what we have learned: First, the leak seems to have occurred at the joint between the valve body and the tube stub ... not, as we had originally feared and suspected at one of the VCR connection points. Nor did it occur at one of the orbital welds between the tube stub on the valve and a VCR gland. To me it is unusual to see a leak at that point in a valve ... particularly one that has not been in service very long. Second, this failure occurred downstream (on the tool side) of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve on the panel. Certainly on our panel, and in most auto-purge panels of this type, this valve is typically closed during bottle changes and similar leak checking activities. To be candid, this has been a bit of a blind spot for me: while I told you that we leak check the panel each time that we change a cylinder (which is true), now that I think about it more carefully, we don't have a mechanism for leak checking anything on the downstream side of this valve on a regular basis. In fact what we normally leak check is that portion of the panel that is upstream of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve. Since this is a manifolded cabinet that has two bottles feeding a single output line, there are actually a number of potential failure points that we do not regularly check that includes the output side of each pneumatically-controlled output valve, the manual quarter-turn valve in series with and downstream from the pneumatically-controlled output valve and the fittings associated with the tee in the manifold. As this cabinet has not been service for an extended period of time, those downstream fittings have likely been checked only twice: once by the cabinet manufacturer at their facility and once by us during the cabinet install. While our cabinet was helium leak checked and certified by a third-party to be less than 10^-9 SCCM leakage, is there a chance that we missed something then? I'm certainly wondering ... My guess is that I am not alone in having thought that we leak check the entire panel and all fittings each time we change a gas cylinder ... whereas there are likely several fittings and connection points that are not actually checked each time. I will certainly think about this in a new light ... Thanks, John On 6/9/2014 5:43 AM, Weaver, John R wrote: > John - > I've had experiences (certainly plural :)) with both external and internal leaks. For an internal leak, where moisture has gained access to the piping, I have always replaced the piping components up to the point where the leak was blocked - a valve, etc. I use valves with Hastelloy wetted surfaces (sometimes called Hastelloy trim), which is not impervious to HCl corrosion but certainly holds up better. > For external leaks, the key is to neutralize the surfaces as quickly as possible. In one instance we had to replace many components because we didn't neutralize the surfaces more quickly. A mild base works well for neutralization - something with a pH in the 9 range. Then a thorough rinse to remove any salts is necessary. > We run all of the gas cabinet exhausts for chloride gas cabinets through our plastic exhaust system, so we don't have to worry about exhaust. If you use a metal exhaust on the gas cabinet where the leak occurred, I'd carefully inspect the exhaust for a month or two after the incident. > I hope this helps. > John > > John R. Weaver > Facility Manager > Birck Nanotechnology Center > Purdue University > jrweaver at purdue.edu > nano.purdue.edu > ________________________________________ > From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] > on behalf of John Shott [shott at stanford.edu] > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 3:08 PM > To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > Labnetwork Community: > > Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of > equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our > experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best > efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it > seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool > near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of > the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen > chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original > anhydrous material. > > For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you > recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of > neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with > thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the > entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? > > Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, > > John > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From tbritton at criticalsystemsinc.com Wed Jun 11 12:20:27 2014 From: tbritton at criticalsystemsinc.com (Tom Britton) Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:20:27 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... In-Reply-To: <5397686B.5050107@stanford.edu> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> <6A848421F695C54A9210C1A873C96AC21300E6DA@WPVEXCMBX04.purdue.lcl> <5397686B.5050107@stanford.edu> Message-ID: <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E0115A5E0@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> Hi John, I'm glad that you found the source of the leak. Any time a system is compromised it causes huge issues with down time and cost of repair. As you are probably aware, your gas line is most likely trashed to the tool and needs to be replaced to the tool. Don't just replace the panel and run the gas again, as corrosion spreads once it starts. Your gas cabinet vendor should be able to get you a new panel, hopefully quickly, so you're not down for an excessive time. In reading what you wrote about leak checking after install, this shouldn't be necessary. The major Fabs don't do this as the downtime and cost would be enormous. The initial installation by your mechanical contactor includes a helium leak check through the cabinet to the tool, and if you're performing a cylinder leak check after every bottle change, you should be fine from a leak check perspective. Instead focus on keeping the gas dry. It is well documented that HCL, and most other corrosives, in the gaseous form, can run for years in stainless steel lines with no issues, but as soon as there is the slightest trace of moisture, game over. It's my guess, that when you send this panel back to the gas cabinet supplier, you're probably going to hear that the valve corroded through where you found the leak. The major points for using any corrosive gas are: 1. Helium leak check the connection after every cylinder change prior to the introduction of process gas. We advise using a "He/Inert Gas" blend for your purge gas, as you can use the purge gas to helium leak test the connection. 2. Always use DISS fittings for both the process gas and the purge gas. Not only do they provide a higher level of leak integrity and purity over a CGA, but one is less likely to introduce a lower purity purge gas by mistake than if the connection has a standard 580 CGA on it. 3. Purge Gas Purifier - We highly recommend a purge gas purifier for all mineral acid gases. Granted, your cylinder costs $1200, but it's cheap insurance and it will last a very long time. 4. Trickle Purge Valve - check to make you have a Trickle Purge Valve in your purge line and that it's open during bottle changes. This does a good job of keeping atmosphere from getting into the gas line during the physical changing of the bottle. 5. Cycle Purges - 30 is not enough. Set your purge cycles at 60 for both pre and post purge. The pre-purge is for the safety of the operators, and does a better job of scrubbing the inside of the tubing and components of the HCl, so any atmospheric moisture that gets past the trickle purge doesn't react. The post purge is to dry the inside of the gas line of the tube and components before the HCl is reintroduced into the system. Any less and there is a chance that residual moisture will remain, and once the HCl gas hits it, the corrosion will start and it's a matter of time before you see the effects. I was talking with Troy on this and he ran his HCl at ON Semi for over 10 years using the above practice, and some of their systems sat idle for quite some time between quartz cleaning steps on seldom used tools. I also talk with a lot of gas systems managers in my travels and this is a fairly common way that the production Fabs keep their corrosive systems running and the problems at bay. Hope this helps. See you on Sunday. Tom Tom Britton Director of Sales Critical Systems, Inc. Direct: 208-890-1417 Office: 877-572-5515 www.CriticalSystemsInc.com [logo for email signature png] -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 2:20 PM To: Weaver, John R; labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... Labnetwork Community: First, I'd like to thank Chung Wing Leong, Dennis Grimard, Craig Cheney, Tom Britton and John Weaver for taking the time to respond to my query. I appreciate your collective expertise and input and am taking a number of things you suggested under careful consideration as we move forward. In the meantime, we have learned a bit more about this leak and I thought that I would share with you a bit more about what we have learned: First, the leak seems to have occurred at the joint between the valve body and the tube stub ... not, as we had originally feared and suspected at one of the VCR connection points. Nor did it occur at one of the orbital welds between the tube stub on the valve and a VCR gland. To me it is unusual to see a leak at that point in a valve ... particularly one that has not been in service very long. Second, this failure occurred downstream (on the tool side) of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve on the panel. Certainly on our panel, and in most auto-purge panels of this type, this valve is typically closed during bottle changes and similar leak checking activities. To be candid, this has been a bit of a blind spot for me: while I told you that we leak check the panel each time that we change a cylinder (which is true), now that I think about it more carefully, we don't have a mechanism for leak checking anything on the downstream side of this valve on a regular basis. In fact what we normally leak check is that portion of the panel that is upstream of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve. Since this is a manifolded cabinet that has two bottles feeding a single output line, there are actually a number of potential failure points that we do not regularly check that includes the output side of each pneumatically-controlled output valve, the manual quarter-turn valve in series with and downstream from the pneumatically-controlled output valve and the fittings associated with the tee in the manifold. As this cabinet has not been service for an extended period of time, those downstream fittings have likely been checked only twice: once by the cabinet manufacturer at their facility and once by us during the cabinet install. While our cabinet was helium leak checked and certified by a third-party to be less than 10^-9 SCCM leakage, is there a chance that we missed something then? I'm certainly wondering ... My guess is that I am not alone in having thought that we leak check the entire panel and all fittings each time we change a gas cylinder ... whereas there are likely several fittings and connection points that are not actually checked each time. I will certainly think about this in a new light ... Thanks, John On 6/9/2014 5:43 AM, Weaver, John R wrote: > John - > I've had experiences (certainly plural :)) with both external and internal leaks. For an internal leak, where moisture has gained access to the piping, I have always replaced the piping components up to the point where the leak was blocked - a valve, etc. I use valves with Hastelloy wetted surfaces (sometimes called Hastelloy trim), which is not impervious to HCl corrosion but certainly holds up better. > For external leaks, the key is to neutralize the surfaces as quickly as possible. In one instance we had to replace many components because we didn't neutralize the surfaces more quickly. A mild base works well for neutralization - something with a pH in the 9 range. Then a thorough rinse to remove any salts is necessary. > We run all of the gas cabinet exhausts for chloride gas cabinets through our plastic exhaust system, so we don't have to worry about exhaust. If you use a metal exhaust on the gas cabinet where the leak occurred, I'd carefully inspect the exhaust for a month or two after the incident. > I hope this helps. > John > > John R. Weaver > Facility Manager > Birck Nanotechnology Center > Purdue University > jrweaver at purdue.edu > nano.purdue.edu > ________________________________________ > From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] > on behalf of John Shott [shott at stanford.edu] > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 3:08 PM > To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > Labnetwork Community: > > Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of > equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our > experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best > efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it > seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool > near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of > the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen > chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original > anhydrous material. > > For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you > recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of > neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with > thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the > entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? > > Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, > > John > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 14859 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From roberthamilton at berkeley.edu Thu Jun 12 12:56:05 2014 From: roberthamilton at berkeley.edu (Bob Hamilton) Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 09:56:05 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl best practices In-Reply-To: <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E0115A5E0@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> <6A848421F695C54A9210C1A873C96AC21300E6DA@WPVEXCMBX04.purdue.lcl> <5397686B.5050107@stanford.edu> <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E0115A5E0@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> Message-ID: <5399DBA5.8080204@berkeley.edu> Tom Britton, Thank you for your insight. The Marvell NanoLab is about to commission an HCl feed to an epi system. We are planning to add a purifier in series with the pigtail from the cylinder to the panel. When one installs such a purifier is it normal practice to plumb a shunt around it to use during trickle-purging/cylinder changes? Although a new term to me, we have made it a practice to reverse-feed N2 through pigtails, to the DISS, during cylinder changes, with good benefit. Also, if one install a reactive HCl purifier does this give an opportunity to step-down a level in gas purity for HCl, assuming it meets a < 1ppm H2O content? Bob Hamilton -- Robert Hamilton University of California at Berkeley Marvell NanoLab Equipment Eng. Mgr. Room 520 Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley, CA 94720-1754 bob at eecs.berkeley.edu Phone: 510-809-8600 Mobile: 510-325-7557 (Emergencies only) e-mail preferred On 6/11/2014 9:20 AM, Tom Britton wrote: > > Hi John, > > I'm glad that you found the source of the leak. Any time a system is > compromised it causes huge issues with down time and cost of repair. > As you are probably aware, your gas line is most likely trashed to the > tool and needs to be replaced to the tool. Don't just replace the > panel and run the gas again, as corrosion spreads once it starts. Your > gas cabinet vendor should be able to get you a new panel, hopefully > quickly, so you're not down for an excessive time. > > In reading what you wrote about leak checking after install, this > shouldn't be necessary. The major Fabs don't do this as the downtime > and cost would be enormous. The initial installation by your > mechanical contactor includes a helium leak check through the cabinet > to the tool, and if you're performing a cylinder leak check after > every bottle change, you should be fine from a leak check perspective. > Instead focus on keeping the gas dry. It is well documented that HCL, > and most other corrosives, in the gaseous form, can run for years in > stainless steel lines with no issues, but as soon as there is the > slightest trace of moisture, game over. It's my guess, that when you > send this panel back to the gas cabinet supplier, you're probably > going to hear that the valve corroded through where you found the leak. > > The major points for using any corrosive gas are: > > 1.Helium leak check the connection after every cylinder change prior > to the introduction of process gas. We advise using a "He/Inert Gas" > blend for your purge gas, as you can use the purge gas to helium leak > test the connection. > > 2.Always use DISS fittings for both the process gas and the purge gas. > Not only do they provide a higher level of leak integrity and purity > over a CGA, but one is less likely to introduce a lower purity purge > gas by mistake than if the connection has a standard 580 CGA on it. > > 3.Purge Gas Purifier - We highly recommend a purge gas purifier for > all mineral acid gases. Granted, your cylinder costs $1200, but it's > cheap insurance and it will last a very long time. > > 4.Trickle Purge Valve - check to make you have a Trickle Purge Valve > in your purge line and that it's open during bottle changes. This does > a good job of keeping atmosphere from getting into the gas line during > the physical changing of the bottle. > > 5.Cycle Purges - 30 is not enough. Set your purge cycles at 60 for > both pre and post purge. The pre-purge is for the safety of the > operators, and does a better job of scrubbing the inside of the tubing > and components of the HCl, so any atmospheric moisture that gets past > the trickle purge doesn't react. The post purge is to dry the inside > of the gas line of the tube and components before the HCl is > reintroduced into the system. Any less and there is a chance that > residual moisture will remain, and once the HCl gas hits it, the > corrosion will start and it's a matter of time before you see the effects. > > I was talking with Troy on this and he ran his HCl at ON Semi for over > 10 years using the above practice, and some of their systems sat idle > for quite some time between quartz cleaning steps on seldom used > tools. I also talk with a lot of gas systems managers in my travels > and this is a fairly common way that the production Fabs keep their > corrosive systems running and the problems at bay. > > Hope this helps. See you on Sunday. > > Tom > > Tom Britton > > Director of Sales > > /Critical Systems, Inc./ > > Direct: 208-890-1417 > > Office: 877-572-5515 > > /www.CriticalSystemsInc.com/ /__/ > > /__/ > > logo for email signature png > > -----Original Message----- > From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu > [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott > Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 2:20 PM > To: Weaver, John R; labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > Labnetwork Community: > > First, I'd like to thank Chung Wing Leong, Dennis Grimard, Craig > Cheney, Tom Britton and John Weaver for taking the time to respond to > my query. > > I appreciate your collective expertise and input and am taking a > number of things you suggested under careful consideration as we move > forward. > > In the meantime, we have learned a bit more about this leak and I > thought that I would share with you a bit more about what we have learned: > > First, the leak seems to have occurred at the joint between the valve > body and the tube stub ... not, as we had originally feared and > suspected at one of the VCR connection points. Nor did it occur at > one of the orbital welds between the tube stub on the valve and a VCR > gland. > > To me it is unusual to see a leak at that point in a valve ... > > particularly one that has not been in service very long. > > Second, this failure occurred downstream (on the tool side) of the > pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve on the panel. > > Certainly on our panel, and in most auto-purge panels of this type, > this valve is typically closed during bottle changes and similar leak > checking activities. To be candid, this has been a bit of a blind spot > for me: while I told you that we leak check the panel each time that > we change a cylinder (which is true), now that I think about it more > carefully, we don't have a mechanism for leak checking anything on the > downstream side of this valve on a regular basis. > > In fact what we normally leak check is that portion of the panel that > is upstream of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve. > > Since this is a manifolded cabinet that has two bottles feeding a > single output line, there are actually a number of potential failure > points that we do not regularly check that includes the output side of > each pneumatically-controlled output valve, the manual quarter-turn > valve in series with and downstream from the pneumatically-controlled > output valve and the fittings associated with the tee in the > manifold. As this cabinet has not been service for an extended period > of time, those downstream fittings have likely been checked only > twice: once by the cabinet manufacturer at their facility and once by > us during the cabinet install. While our cabinet was helium leak > checked and certified by a third-party to be less than 10^-9 SCCM > leakage, is there a chance that we missed something then? I'm > certainly wondering ... > > My guess is that I am not alone in having thought that we leak check > the entire panel and all fittings each time we change a gas cylinder ... > > whereas there are likely several fittings and connection points that > are not actually checked each time. I will certainly think about this > in a new light ... > > Thanks, > > John > > On 6/9/2014 5:43 AM, Weaver, John R wrote: > > > John - > > > I've had experiences (certainly plural :)) with both external and > internal leaks. For an internal leak, where moisture has gained access > to the piping, I have always replaced the piping components up to the > point where the leak was blocked - a valve, etc. I use valves with > Hastelloy wetted surfaces (sometimes called Hastelloy trim), which is > not impervious to HCl corrosion but certainly holds up better. > > > For external leaks, the key is to neutralize the surfaces as quickly > as possible. In one instance we had to replace many components because > we didn't neutralize the surfaces more quickly. A mild base works well > for neutralization - something with a pH in the 9 range. Then a > thorough rinse to remove any salts is necessary. > > > We run all of the gas cabinet exhausts for chloride gas cabinets > through our plastic exhaust system, so we don't have to worry about > exhaust. If you use a metal exhaust on the gas cabinet where the leak > occurred, I'd carefully inspect the exhaust for a month or two after > the incident. > > > I hope this helps. > > > John > > > > > > John R. Weaver > > > Facility Manager > > > Birck Nanotechnology Center > > > Purdue University > > > jrweaver at purdue.edu > > > nano.purdue.edu > > > ________________________________________ > > > From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu > [labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] > > > on behalf of John Shott [shott at stanford.edu] > > > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 3:08 PM > > > To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > > > Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > > > > > Labnetwork Community: > > > > > > Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of > > > equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our > > > experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best > > > efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it > > > seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool > > > near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of > > > the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen > > > chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original > > > anhydrous material. > > > > > > For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you > > > recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of > > > neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with > > > thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the > > > entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? > > > > > > Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, > > > > > > John > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > labnetwork mailing list > > > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > > > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > > _______________________________________________ > > labnetwork mailing list > > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 14859 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rmorrison at draper.com Fri Jun 13 06:19:53 2014 From: rmorrison at draper.com (Morrison, Richard H., Jr.) Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 10:19:53 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Class 10 air flow detection Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I am trying to fix some intermittent issues with air flow around some tools in a Class 10 room. I tried to use a smoke stick but they are very messy (not Class 10 material), is there a cleanroom smoke generator that I can use to look at air flow. We have built a physical model in ANSYS and have good results, but I want to visualize the flow. Thanks and see you at UGIM. Rick Draper Laboratory Principal Member of the Technical Staff Group Leader Microfabrication Operations 555 Technology Square Cambridge Ma, 02139-3563 www.draper.com rmorrison at draper.com W 617-258-3420 C 508-930-3461 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From schweig at umich.edu Fri Jun 13 08:29:44 2014 From: schweig at umich.edu (Dennis Schweiger) Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:29:44 -0400 Subject: [labnetwork] Class 10 air flow detection Message-ID: Richard, do you have access to LN2? We'll use a small amount of LN2 in a tray, and add water. It generates quite a bit of "smoke", is inert, and provides a good visual for "seeing" the air flow. Dennis Schweiger University of Michigan/LNF Facilities Manager 734.647.2055 Ofc On Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 6:19 AM, Morrison, Richard H., Jr. < rmorrison at draper.com> wrote: > Hi Everyone, > > > > I am trying to fix some intermittent issues with air flow around some > tools in a Class 10 room. I tried to use a smoke stick but they are very > messy (not Class 10 material), is there a cleanroom smoke generator that I > can use to look at air flow. > > > > We have built a physical model in ANSYS and have good results, but I want > to visualize the flow. > > > > Thanks and see you at UGIM. > > > Rick > > > > > > Draper Laboratory > > Principal Member of the Technical Staff > > Group Leader Microfabrication Operations > > 555 Technology Square > > Cambridge Ma, 02139-3563 > > > > www.draper.com > > rmorrison at draper.com > > W 617-258-3420 > > C 508-930-3461 > > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From spaolini at cns.fas.harvard.edu Fri Jun 13 10:15:50 2014 From: spaolini at cns.fas.harvard.edu (Paolini, Steven) Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 14:15:50 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Class 10 air flow detection In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Rich, We used to use a simple drug store vaporizer for visual feedback on air flows. The only caveat is the added moisture put into the air. Steve Paolini Equipment dood Harvard University Center for Nanoscale Systems From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Morrison, Richard H., Jr. Sent: Friday, June 13, 2014 6:20 AM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: [labnetwork] Class 10 air flow detection Hi Everyone, I am trying to fix some intermittent issues with air flow around some tools in a Class 10 room. I tried to use a smoke stick but they are very messy (not Class 10 material), is there a cleanroom smoke generator that I can use to look at air flow. We have built a physical model in ANSYS and have good results, but I want to visualize the flow. Thanks and see you at UGIM. Rick Draper Laboratory Principal Member of the Technical Staff Group Leader Microfabrication Operations 555 Technology Square Cambridge Ma, 02139-3563 www.draper.com rmorrison at draper.com W 617-258-3420 C 508-930-3461 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tbritton at criticalsystemsinc.com Fri Jun 13 12:04:54 2014 From: tbritton at criticalsystemsinc.com (Tom Britton) Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 16:04:54 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl best practices In-Reply-To: <5399DBA5.8080204@berkeley.edu> References: <5390C04A.5030105@stanford.edu> <6A848421F695C54A9210C1A873C96AC21300E6DA@WPVEXCMBX04.purdue.lcl> <5397686B.5050107@stanford.edu> <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E0115A5E0@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> <5399DBA5.8080204@berkeley.edu> Message-ID: <9820889A26AAC34EBEB01D62DFCEEB2E0115C4AA@P3PWEX2MB006.ex2.secureserver.net> Hello Bob, Thank you for the inquiry. With the goal of "keeping the gas dry", here is what we would recommend and why: 1. Put the HCl purifier at the entrance to the chamber, not on the pigtail for the following reasons: a. Purifiers are sized by inlet pressure and flow rate, and the cost of a purifier that can handle cylinder pressure, and the higher flow at the gas cabinet is significantly higher than the cost of a point of use purifier. This, plus having it at the chamber, catches any residual moisture and impurities picked up in the gas line, protecting your chamber and research results. b. Running the purge gas through the purifier will shorten the life of the purifier. c. Placing a bypass around the purifier for bottle changes adds additional plumbing and costs that aren't necessary. I see your thoughts with capturing any moisture before it gets to the panel to protect against corrosion, but if you have a leak at the cylinder connection, you're going to start corroding there, and the effects will soon be seen at the purifier and downstream. d. If you want to have the purifier in the gas cabinet, place it at the outlet of the panel. Most gas cabinets have an area where you can install a filter or purifier, and it's usually right before the outlet to the system. 2. Place a purifier on the purge gas. a. By doing this you will remove the moisture from the purge gas to < 1 ppb. b. You can also get away with a slightly lower quality of purge gas this way. The purge gas purifier runs about $1,700.00, and should last for years. The manufacturer of the purifier can run a life calculation by knowing the level of moisture in the purge gas, along with the flow rate, so you can see exactly how long this will last in service. 3. You already use the DISS gaskets, so you're good here. 4. Helium leak check the connection after the bottle change so you are assured a good connection. A reading of 1 x 10-9 on the detector is what you are shooting for at a minimum. a. Get a portable helium leak sniffer to check the connection. (see attached) Don't rely on "Snoop" or soap solutions. b. Use a Helium blend for your purge gas, so the helium is present to check the connection. 5. Set your Cycle Purge sequence to 60 pre and post purges. Doing this will be your best way of keeping your system dry and contamination free. Please let me know if this helps. Thank you! Tom Britton Director of Sales Critical Systems, Inc. Direct: 208-890-1417 Office: 877-572-5515 www.CriticalSystemsInc.com [logo for email signature png] From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Bob Hamilton Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2014 10:56 AM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl best practices Tom Britton, Thank you for your insight. The Marvell NanoLab is about to commission an HCl feed to an epi system. We are planning to add a purifier in series with the pigtail from the cylinder to the panel. When one installs such a purifier is it normal practice to plumb a shunt around it to use during trickle-purging/cylinder changes? Although a new term to me, we have made it a practice to reverse-feed N2 through pigtails, to the DISS, during cylinder changes, with good benefit. Also, if one install a reactive HCl purifier does this give an opportunity to step-down a level in gas purity for HCl, assuming it meets a < 1ppm H2O content? Bob Hamilton -- Robert Hamilton University of California at Berkeley Marvell NanoLab Equipment Eng. Mgr. Room 520 Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley, CA 94720-1754 bob at eecs.berkeley.edu Phone: 510-809-8600 Mobile: 510-325-7557 (Emergencies only) e-mail preferred On 6/11/2014 9:20 AM, Tom Britton wrote: Hi John, I'm glad that you found the source of the leak. Any time a system is compromised it causes huge issues with down time and cost of repair. As you are probably aware, your gas line is most likely trashed to the tool and needs to be replaced to the tool. Don't just replace the panel and run the gas again, as corrosion spreads once it starts. Your gas cabinet vendor should be able to get you a new panel, hopefully quickly, so you're not down for an excessive time. In reading what you wrote about leak checking after install, this shouldn't be necessary. The major Fabs don't do this as the downtime and cost would be enormous. The initial installation by your mechanical contactor includes a helium leak check through the cabinet to the tool, and if you're performing a cylinder leak check after every bottle change, you should be fine from a leak check perspective. Instead focus on keeping the gas dry. It is well documented that HCL, and most other corrosives, in the gaseous form, can run for years in stainless steel lines with no issues, but as soon as there is the slightest trace of moisture, game over. It's my guess, that when you send this panel back to the gas cabinet supplier, you're probably going to hear that the valve corroded through where you found the leak. The major points for using any corrosive gas are: 1. Helium leak check the connection after every cylinder change prior to the introduction of process gas. We advise using a "He/Inert Gas" blend for your purge gas, as you can use the purge gas to helium leak test the connection. 2. Always use DISS fittings for both the process gas and the purge gas. Not only do they provide a higher level of leak integrity and purity over a CGA, but one is less likely to introduce a lower purity purge gas by mistake than if the connection has a standard 580 CGA on it. 3. Purge Gas Purifier - We highly recommend a purge gas purifier for all mineral acid gases. Granted, your cylinder costs $1200, but it's cheap insurance and it will last a very long time. 4. Trickle Purge Valve - check to make you have a Trickle Purge Valve in your purge line and that it's open during bottle changes. This does a good job of keeping atmosphere from getting into the gas line during the physical changing of the bottle. 5. Cycle Purges - 30 is not enough. Set your purge cycles at 60 for both pre and post purge. The pre-purge is for the safety of the operators, and does a better job of scrubbing the inside of the tubing and components of the HCl, so any atmospheric moisture that gets past the trickle purge doesn't react. The post purge is to dry the inside of the gas line of the tube and components before the HCl is reintroduced into the system. Any less and there is a chance that residual moisture will remain, and once the HCl gas hits it, the corrosion will start and it's a matter of time before you see the effects. I was talking with Troy on this and he ran his HCl at ON Semi for over 10 years using the above practice, and some of their systems sat idle for quite some time between quartz cleaning steps on seldom used tools. I also talk with a lot of gas systems managers in my travels and this is a fairly common way that the production Fabs keep their corrosive systems running and the problems at bay. Hope this helps. See you on Sunday. Tom Tom Britton Director of Sales Critical Systems, Inc. Direct: 208-890-1417 Office: 877-572-5515 www.CriticalSystemsInc.com [logo for email signature png] -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 2:20 PM To: Weaver, John R; labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... Labnetwork Community: First, I'd like to thank Chung Wing Leong, Dennis Grimard, Craig Cheney, Tom Britton and John Weaver for taking the time to respond to my query. I appreciate your collective expertise and input and am taking a number of things you suggested under careful consideration as we move forward. In the meantime, we have learned a bit more about this leak and I thought that I would share with you a bit more about what we have learned: First, the leak seems to have occurred at the joint between the valve body and the tube stub ... not, as we had originally feared and suspected at one of the VCR connection points. Nor did it occur at one of the orbital welds between the tube stub on the valve and a VCR gland. To me it is unusual to see a leak at that point in a valve ... particularly one that has not been in service very long. Second, this failure occurred downstream (on the tool side) of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve on the panel. Certainly on our panel, and in most auto-purge panels of this type, this valve is typically closed during bottle changes and similar leak checking activities. To be candid, this has been a bit of a blind spot for me: while I told you that we leak check the panel each time that we change a cylinder (which is true), now that I think about it more carefully, we don't have a mechanism for leak checking anything on the downstream side of this valve on a regular basis. In fact what we normally leak check is that portion of the panel that is upstream of the pneumatically-controlled, low-pressure outlet valve. Since this is a manifolded cabinet that has two bottles feeding a single output line, there are actually a number of potential failure points that we do not regularly check that includes the output side of each pneumatically-controlled output valve, the manual quarter-turn valve in series with and downstream from the pneumatically-controlled output valve and the fittings associated with the tee in the manifold. As this cabinet has not been service for an extended period of time, those downstream fittings have likely been checked only twice: once by the cabinet manufacturer at their facility and once by us during the cabinet install. While our cabinet was helium leak checked and certified by a third-party to be less than 10^-9 SCCM leakage, is there a chance that we missed something then? I'm certainly wondering ... My guess is that I am not alone in having thought that we leak check the entire panel and all fittings each time we change a gas cylinder ... whereas there are likely several fittings and connection points that are not actually checked each time. I will certainly think about this in a new light ... Thanks, John On 6/9/2014 5:43 AM, Weaver, John R wrote: > John - > I've had experiences (certainly plural :)) with both external and internal leaks. For an internal leak, where moisture has gained access to the piping, I have always replaced the piping components up to the point where the leak was blocked - a valve, etc. I use valves with Hastelloy wetted surfaces (sometimes called Hastelloy trim), which is not impervious to HCl corrosion but certainly holds up better. > For external leaks, the key is to neutralize the surfaces as quickly as possible. In one instance we had to replace many components because we didn't neutralize the surfaces more quickly. A mild base works well for neutralization - something with a pH in the 9 range. Then a thorough rinse to remove any salts is necessary. > We run all of the gas cabinet exhausts for chloride gas cabinets through our plastic exhaust system, so we don't have to worry about exhaust. If you use a metal exhaust on the gas cabinet where the leak occurred, I'd carefully inspect the exhaust for a month or two after the incident. > I hope this helps. > John > > John R. Weaver > Facility Manager > Birck Nanotechnology Center > Purdue University > jrweaver at purdue.edu > nano.purdue.edu > ________________________________________ > From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] > on behalf of John Shott [shott at stanford.edu] > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 3:08 PM > To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > Subject: [labnetwork] Anhydrous HCl after it escapes ... > > Labnetwork Community: > > Sooner or later, it seems, anhydrous hydrogen chloride (or a number of > equally corrosive materials) is going to escape. At least that is our > experience at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. Despite our best > efforts to use quality components, do proper leak checking, etc., it > seems as if we end up with a leak either in a gas cabinet or in a tool > near a mass flow controller. At that point, anything near the site of > the original leak has been covered with now moisture-laden hydrogen > chloride ... which, I believe, is far more corrosive than the original > anhydrous material. > > For those of you who have encountered similar situations, how do you > recover or what to you replace? Do you have effective means of > neutralizing those metal surfaces? Do your replace VCR gaskets with > thicker-than-normal or grooved "super gaskets"? Do you replace the > entire assembly? Do you leak check, put back in service, and pray? > > Thanks for sharing your experience and insights, > > John > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 14859 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From john_sweeney at harvard.edu Fri Jun 13 13:41:11 2014 From: john_sweeney at harvard.edu (Sweeney, John) Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 17:41:11 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] Class 10 air flow detection In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: <1EECE1F5-6E59-4293-A27B-6FEEAD44BC0E@harvard.edu> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rmorrison at draper.com Wed Jun 18 09:59:31 2014 From: rmorrison at draper.com (Morrison, Richard H., Jr.) Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2014 13:59:31 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] clean smoke for cleanroom Message-ID: Hi, Want to thank everyone for their responses. I have contacted the 2 companies recommended that sell units that generate clean smoke. Other suggestions include simple home humidifier, ultrasonic humidifier and LN2 with DI. Thanks Rick Draper Laboratory Principal Member of the Technical Staff Group Leader Microfabrication Operations 555 Technology Square Cambridge Ma, 02139-3563 www.draper.com rmorrison at draper.com W 617-258-3420 C 508-930-3461 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From khbeis at uw.edu Thu Jun 19 08:49:39 2014 From: khbeis at uw.edu (Michael Khbeis) Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 05:49:39 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Cleanroom Construction Survey Message-ID: <7EC2FD5B-5DB4-4AEB-BEA3-881154E2B058@uw.edu> Dear Colleagues and Friends, It was so great to spend time with you at UGIM. It really makes running these facilities easier when you have a brain trust to rely on. I know most of you are just getting back in the office, but I could really use your help in gathering some data on recent (last decade) cleanroom construction efforts. We are in a terrible situation with our cleanroom construction project. My pleas to hire knowledgable contractors and MEP designers were completely ignored and our contracting model where we bring the contractors and major subs (mechanical and electrical) in early to design assist and have no competition has resulted in a cost explosion where my cleanroom remodel budget easily exceeds some of your complete building construction costs. Can you please try to answer these questions to the best of your abilities: 1. How many gross square feet of space do you have? How much under filter? What class(es) of cleanroom? If remodel, what did you have before construction? 2. Was it new construction or remodel? If remodel, did you stay operational or shutdown for an extended period? How long was project from concept to operational? 3. What was the cleanroom construction cost? What was the total project cost (including architectural, design, construction, institution project management fees)? 4. Do you have any sub-contract cost information, specifically mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP)? 5. Did you use contractors that had cleanroom experience (yes/no) and which contractor did you use? - Architect - MEP designer - General Contractor - Cleanroom Contractor - if same as GC, then please state that - Mechanical Contractor - Electrical Contractor - Plumbing Contractor - Spec Gas Contractor - Equipment Fit-up Contractor - Controls Contractor - Commissioning Agent 6. What contract method was used (e.g. design/build, construction manager, developer, private/public partnership)? 7. Where did funds come from (e.g. donors, campus investment, state funds)? 8. Did you have any special challenges or conditions that impacted design/cost/performance (e.g. as a remodel we have 16' floor to ceiling height that makes design challenging, we are doing occupied remodel)? 9. Any other comments of anecdotes that may be of value. Again, I really appreciate your valuable feedback and will share the compilation of the data with everyone. Most gratefully, Dr. Michael Khbeis Acting Director, Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF) National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) University of Washington Fluke Hall, Box 352143 (O) 206.543.5101 (F) 206.221.1681 (C) 443.254.5192 khbeis at uw.edu www.wnf.washington.edu/ From rmorrison at draper.com Fri Jun 20 14:16:41 2014 From: rmorrison at draper.com (Morrison, Richard H., Jr.) Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 18:16:41 +0000 Subject: [labnetwork] cleanroom garments Message-ID: Hi everyone, This post is really for cleanrooms in the New England area. I was wondering if you could share the name of your cleanroom garment provider. I am thinking about changing vendors so I am looking for alternatives. Thanks in advance Rick Draper Laboratory Principal Member of the Technical Staff Group Leader Microfabrication Operations 555 Technology Square Cambridge Ma, 02139-3563 www.draper.com rmorrison at draper.com W 617-258-3420 C 508-930-3461 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From diadiuk at MIT.EDU Mon Jun 23 15:17:47 2014 From: diadiuk at MIT.EDU (Vicky Diadiuk) Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 15:17:47 -0400 Subject: [labnetwork] OCG 934 3:2 Developer Message-ID: HI, We changed our resist family, so we are left with 7 unopened cases (in DOT-apprved packaging) and 4 loose gallons of OCG 934 3:2 Developer, manufactured by Fuji products, we no longer need. If you have any use for all or some of these, let me know. If you pay for shipping, they're yours :) Thx, Vicky -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From info at fabsurplus.com Tue Jun 24 04:31:53 2014 From: info at fabsurplus.com (Stephen Howe) Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 10:31:53 +0200 Subject: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? Message-ID: <1403598713.13175.46.camel@stephen-Q500A> Dear Lab Network members, I would be interested in getting the network's suggestions regarding the following topic. As the owner and founder of Fabsurplus.com, a broker and reseller of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment, I spend around half of my time inspecting a wide selection of process equipment that has been in contact with a very wide range of chemicals. The machines inspected include CVD and PVD equipment, solvent and acid wet benches, pumps, implant equipment and lithography equipment. The equipment is typically "decontaminated" before we get to it. Sometimes, we get a decontamination certificate and MSDS sheets with the tool. This is very frequently a legal obligation prior to removal of the equipment from the factory. The precautions I adopt during inspection are:- 1. Check for presence of decontamination certificates and MSDS. 2. Wear some kind of disposable protective gloves during the inspection. 3. Remain aware of the potentially hazardous nature of any residues or fluids encountered during equipment inspections. 4. In the case any fluid is found, I check the pH of the fluid using indicator paper. In the case the indicator paper shows acid, decontamination procedures are followed. 5. Following inspection, gloves are removed and disposed of , and then I am always careful to thoroughly wash my hands. I would further comment that I have discovered around a pint of concentrated HF remaining in the machines I was inspecting on 2 occasions in the last 15 years, and other acids on one occasion. I am also concerned that HF may leach into the plastic of the equipment we come into contact with. Furthermore, we are now exposed to a new hazard from possible residual gases from excimer lasers used in photolithography. I have noted that in the event of leaks of HF occuring during the machine's use, the steel surfaces of the machines in question - typically inside the gas boxes, chamber outer parts - can have a floured or stained appearance. I wonder if lab network members can advise on any precautions necessary for the handling and decontamination of such discolored or floured surfaces ? I often travel around the world to do equipment inspections, and end up doing the inspections armed with a flashlight in a warehouse. Very often the warehouses were I do the inspection have no first aid kit for the treatment of HF exposure and also no kit for the detection and cleanup of acid spills. As such I was thinking of carrying with me a small , emergency kit. In that kit I was thinking of including:- 1. Litmus paper 2. HF paper 3. A tube of Calcium Gluconate Gel 4. Disposable overalls 5. Gloves suitable for applying the Calcium Gluconate gel to any exposure sufferer. I need to get though airport security and customs with the minimum of fuss. Given the extremely wide assortment of machines we at Fabsurplus.com inspect, can anyone suggest items I could do with in my "emergency kit" ? Can anyone suggest quantities of the items I am going to be able to get through airport security without having a huge hassle ? Can anyone suggest any procedures or experiences which might help me get a kit like this through international customs and airport security with the minimum of fuss? Thanks very much in anticipation for your responses. Yours sincerely, Stephen Howe Company Owner SDI Fabsurplus Group +1 830 388 1071 (Mobile) +39 335 710 7756 (Italy Mobile) Skype: Stephencshowe email: info at fabsurplus.com WWW.FABSURPLUS.COM Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabsurplus Twitter: http://twitter.com/fabsurplus Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Fabsurplus Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA From shott at stanford.edu Tue Jun 24 10:10:18 2014 From: shott at stanford.edu (John Shott) Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 07:10:18 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? In-Reply-To: <1403598713.13175.46.camel@stephen-Q500A> References: <1403598713.13175.46.camel@stephen-Q500A> Message-ID: <53A986CA.9020506@stanford.edu> Stephen: First my disclaimer: I am not a health and safety professional, but have received donated equipment over the years: some of which have been carefully decontaminated ... whereas other look as if they were simply removed by cutting every line to the tool. Here are a few things that I would offer: 1. I would get a better set of gloves and probably more than one type. It sounds as if you are using simple disposable or latex gloves. Certainly something at bit more robust such as Trionic gloves would provide better protection against exposure for a variety of acids. Someone (I forget who) at UGIM was describing some lightweight Trionic gloves that they liked ... I think that it may have been either the MIT or Harvard EH&S folks who spoke during the Sunday introductory session on safety. You probably also want something like nitrile gloves that are better, I think, where solvent exposure is the primary hazard. 2. I would always check were the closest safety shower or source of water is. My guess is that you are likely often in locations where there is no real safety shower ... but knowing where the nearest restroom, running garden hose, etc would always be high on my list. It's probably worth mention that to your host as a precondition to your inspection. 3. While others may have their favorites, we like SpilFyter Chemical Classifier strips that have several patches that can detect pH, fluoride, oxidizer, and a few more things. When you are less certain of the chemical, the strips that can detect more things are useful. 4. I think that Calcium Gluconate typically comes in tubes that are larger than you can get through TSA. As a result, I'd pre-fill two or three smaller plastic squeeze bottles so that you can get it through TSA. I would also consider pre-shipping any other supplies to your destination. 5. How about a cartridge respirator and a set of cartridges for solvents, particles, etc? 6. For a measure of neutralization of surfaces, having some calcium carbonate crystals that could be mixed into a dilute solution is probably not a bad idea. If I am not mistaken, most professional decon teams use calcium carbonate solution for anything that might have been exposed to HF or fluoride-bearing solutions such as implanter source boxes that have BF3 "crusty stuff" in them. 7. Some form of good eye protection against unexpected splashes is important too. Note: while somewhat bulky, a full face respirator would give you good eye protection in addition to fume protection. Those are some of the things that I would want to have with me if I were about to do battle with a piece of equipment of unknown provenance. I am confident, however, that some of the others on this list will have more to add. Good luck, John On 6/24/2014 1:31 AM, Stephen Howe wrote: > Dear Lab Network members, > > I would be interested in getting the network's suggestions regarding the > following topic. > > As the owner and founder of Fabsurplus.com, a broker and reseller of > used semiconductor manufacturing equipment, I spend around half of my > time inspecting a wide selection of process equipment that has been in > contact with a very wide range of chemicals. > > The machines inspected include CVD and PVD equipment, solvent and acid > wet benches, pumps, implant equipment and lithography equipment. > > The equipment is typically "decontaminated" before we get to it. > Sometimes, we get a decontamination certificate and MSDS sheets with the > tool. This is very frequently a legal obligation prior to removal of the > equipment from the factory. > > The precautions I adopt during inspection are:- > > 1. Check for presence of decontamination certificates and MSDS. > 2. Wear some kind of disposable protective gloves during the inspection. > 3. Remain aware of the potentially hazardous nature of any residues or > fluids encountered during equipment inspections. > 4. In the case any fluid is found, I check the pH of the fluid using > indicator paper. > In the case the indicator paper shows acid, decontamination procedures > are followed. > 5. Following inspection, gloves are removed and disposed of , and then I > am always careful to thoroughly wash my hands. > > I would further comment that I have discovered around a pint of > concentrated HF remaining in the machines I was inspecting on 2 > occasions in the last 15 years, and other acids on one occasion. > > I am also concerned that HF may leach into the plastic of the equipment > we come into contact with. > Furthermore, we are now exposed to a new hazard from possible residual > gases from excimer lasers used in photolithography. > > I have noted that in the event of leaks of HF occuring during the > machine's use, the steel surfaces of the machines in question - > typically inside the gas boxes, chamber outer parts - can have a floured > or stained appearance. > I wonder if lab network members can advise on any precautions necessary > for the handling and decontamination of such discolored or floured > surfaces ? > > I often travel around the world to do equipment inspections, and end up > doing the inspections armed with a flashlight in a warehouse. > Very often the warehouses were I do the inspection have no first aid kit > for the treatment of HF exposure and also no kit for the detection and > cleanup of acid spills. > > As such I was thinking of carrying with me a small , emergency kit. > In that kit I was thinking of including:- > > 1. Litmus paper > 2. HF paper > 3. A tube of Calcium Gluconate Gel > 4. Disposable overalls > 5. Gloves suitable for applying the Calcium Gluconate gel to any > exposure sufferer. > > I need to get though airport security and customs with the minimum of > fuss. > > Given the extremely wide assortment of machines we at Fabsurplus.com > inspect, can anyone suggest items I could do with in my "emergency > kit" ? > Can anyone suggest quantities of the items I am going to be able to get > through airport security without having a huge hassle ? > Can anyone suggest any procedures or experiences which might help me get > a kit like this through international customs and airport security with > the minimum of fuss? > > Thanks very much in anticipation for your responses. > > Yours sincerely, > > Stephen Howe > Company Owner > SDI Fabsurplus Group > > +1 830 388 1071 (Mobile) > +39 335 710 7756 (Italy Mobile) > Skype: Stephencshowe > email: info at fabsurplus.com > > WWW.FABSURPLUS.COM > Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA > > Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabsurplus > Twitter: http://twitter.com/fabsurplus > Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Fabsurplus > > Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From hathaway at cns.fas.harvard.edu Tue Jun 24 14:22:10 2014 From: hathaway at cns.fas.harvard.edu (Mac Hathaway) Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 14:22:10 -0400 Subject: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? In-Reply-To: <53A986CA.9020506@stanford.edu> References: <1403598713.13175.46.camel@stephen-Q500A> <53A986CA.9020506@stanford.edu> Message-ID: <53A9C1D2.2090702@cns.fas.harvard.edu> Hello all, John's list sounds pretty good. Two things to add regarding HF/Calcium Gluconate... The tubes of Calgonate (calcium gluconate 2.5% gel) on my desk are 25g each, or ~0.9 oz, which should be small enough for TSA. Also, I'm told that while the "shelf life" is two years (perhaps like the "shelf life" of many process gases) for Calgonate, there does seem to be some actual data out that suggest that the useful life after opening is much shorter, perhaps only months, or even weeks. Thus, repackaging might be problematic. If anyone knows how to test calcium gluconate for "viability", or what the failure mode is (gluconate... maybe bacterial growth?), that would be interesting to know. I actually asked Calgonate Co. what happens after two years (their claimed shelf life), and they said... "We don't know, we never tried it beyond two years..." Huh. If you are ever looking at ALD equipment, you'll want to make sure that the precursor cylinders have been removed. These are usually inside the cabinet, and several may contain water/air reactive organo-metallic materials, very often including TMA (trimethyl aluminum), pyrophoric materials which will burst into flame if the fittings are accidentally loosened. Somewhat off-topic, it was a real pleasure to meet many of you this past week at the UGIM meeting. I never realized this list was such an integral part of our research endeavor! Mac Hathaway Wetbench Safety Guy Harvard CNS On 6/24/2014 10:10 AM, John Shott wrote: > Stephen: > > First my disclaimer: I am not a health and safety professional, but > have received donated equipment over the years: some of which have > been carefully decontaminated ... whereas other look as if they were > simply removed by cutting every line to the tool. > > Here are a few things that I would offer: > > 1. I would get a better set of gloves and probably more than one > type. It sounds as if you are using simple disposable or latex > gloves. Certainly something at bit more robust such as Trionic gloves > would provide better protection against exposure for a variety of > acids. Someone (I forget who) at UGIM was describing some lightweight > Trionic gloves that they liked ... I think that it may have been > either the MIT or Harvard EH&S folks who spoke during the Sunday > introductory session on safety. You probably also want something like > nitrile gloves that are better, I think, where solvent exposure is the > primary hazard. > > 2. I would always check were the closest safety shower or source of > water is. My guess is that you are likely often in locations where > there is no real safety shower ... but knowing where the nearest > restroom, running garden hose, etc would always be high on my list. > It's probably worth mention that to your host as a precondition to > your inspection. > > 3. While others may have their favorites, we like SpilFyter Chemical > Classifier strips that have several patches that can detect pH, > fluoride, oxidizer, and a few more things. When you are less certain > of the chemical, the strips that can detect more things are useful. > > 4. I think that Calcium Gluconate typically comes in tubes that are > larger than you can get through TSA. As a result, I'd pre-fill two or > three smaller plastic squeeze bottles so that you can get it through > TSA. I would also consider pre-shipping any other supplies to your > destination. > > 5. How about a cartridge respirator and a set of cartridges for > solvents, particles, etc? > > 6. For a measure of neutralization of surfaces, having some calcium > carbonate crystals that could be mixed into a dilute solution is > probably not a bad idea. If I am not mistaken, most professional > decon teams use calcium carbonate solution for anything that might > have been exposed to HF or fluoride-bearing solutions such as > implanter source boxes that have BF3 "crusty stuff" in them. > > 7. Some form of good eye protection against unexpected splashes is > important too. Note: while somewhat bulky, a full face respirator > would give you good eye protection in addition to fume protection. > > Those are some of the things that I would want to have with me if I > were about to do battle with a piece of equipment of unknown > provenance. I am confident, however, that some of the others on this > list will have more to add. > > Good luck, > > John > > > > On 6/24/2014 1:31 AM, Stephen Howe wrote: >> Dear Lab Network members, >> >> I would be interested in getting the network's suggestions regarding the >> following topic. >> >> As the owner and founder of Fabsurplus.com, a broker and reseller of >> used semiconductor manufacturing equipment, I spend around half of my >> time inspecting a wide selection of process equipment that has been in >> contact with a very wide range of chemicals. >> >> The machines inspected include CVD and PVD equipment, solvent and acid >> wet benches, pumps, implant equipment and lithography equipment. >> >> The equipment is typically "decontaminated" before we get to it. >> Sometimes, we get a decontamination certificate and MSDS sheets with the >> tool. This is very frequently a legal obligation prior to removal of the >> equipment from the factory. >> >> The precautions I adopt during inspection are:- >> >> 1. Check for presence of decontamination certificates and MSDS. >> 2. Wear some kind of disposable protective gloves during the inspection. >> 3. Remain aware of the potentially hazardous nature of any residues or >> fluids encountered during equipment inspections. >> 4. In the case any fluid is found, I check the pH of the fluid using >> indicator paper. >> In the case the indicator paper shows acid, decontamination procedures >> are followed. >> 5. Following inspection, gloves are removed and disposed of , and then I >> am always careful to thoroughly wash my hands. >> >> I would further comment that I have discovered around a pint of >> concentrated HF remaining in the machines I was inspecting on 2 >> occasions in the last 15 years, and other acids on one occasion. >> >> I am also concerned that HF may leach into the plastic of the equipment >> we come into contact with. >> Furthermore, we are now exposed to a new hazard from possible residual >> gases from excimer lasers used in photolithography. >> >> I have noted that in the event of leaks of HF occuring during the >> machine's use, the steel surfaces of the machines in question - >> typically inside the gas boxes, chamber outer parts - can have a floured >> or stained appearance. >> I wonder if lab network members can advise on any precautions necessary >> for the handling and decontamination of such discolored or floured >> surfaces ? >> >> I often travel around the world to do equipment inspections, and end up >> doing the inspections armed with a flashlight in a warehouse. >> Very often the warehouses were I do the inspection have no first aid kit >> for the treatment of HF exposure and also no kit for the detection and >> cleanup of acid spills. >> >> As such I was thinking of carrying with me a small , emergency kit. >> In that kit I was thinking of including:- >> >> 1. Litmus paper >> 2. HF paper >> 3. A tube of Calcium Gluconate Gel >> 4. Disposable overalls >> 5. Gloves suitable for applying the Calcium Gluconate gel to any >> exposure sufferer. >> >> I need to get though airport security and customs with the minimum of >> fuss. >> >> Given the extremely wide assortment of machines we at Fabsurplus.com >> inspect, can anyone suggest items I could do with in my "emergency >> kit" ? >> Can anyone suggest quantities of the items I am going to be able to get >> through airport security without having a huge hassle ? >> Can anyone suggest any procedures or experiences which might help me get >> a kit like this through international customs and airport security with >> the minimum of fuss? >> >> Thanks very much in anticipation for your responses. >> >> Yours sincerely, >> >> Stephen Howe >> Company Owner >> SDI Fabsurplus Group >> >> +1 830 388 1071 (Mobile) >> +39 335 710 7756 (Italy Mobile) >> Skype: Stephencshowe >> email: info at fabsurplus.com >> >> WWW.FABSURPLUS.COM >> Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA >> >> Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabsurplus >> Twitter: http://twitter.com/fabsurplus >> Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Fabsurplus >> >> Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> labnetwork mailing list >> labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu >> https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From shott at stanford.edu Tue Jun 24 19:58:56 2014 From: shott at stanford.edu (John Shott) Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 16:58:56 -0700 Subject: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? In-Reply-To: <53A9C1D2.2090702@cns.fas.harvard.edu> References: <1403598713.13175.46.camel@stephen-Q500A> <53A986CA.9020506@stanford.edu> <53A9C1D2.2090702@cns.fas.harvard.edu> Message-ID: <53AA10C0.509@stanford.edu> Mac et al: Well, I learned something: we used to use the old "full-sized toothpaste tube" version of Calcium Gluconate ... or at least that's what I recall. Our manufacturer (Attard Minerals -- attminerals.com) now sells both 30 gram and 60 gram "travel sizes" ... so Mac is absolutely correct that there is no need to repackage this stuff. Thanks for that update, Mac. John On 6/24/2014 11:22 AM, Mac Hathaway wrote: > Hello all, > > John's list sounds pretty good. Two things to add regarding > HF/Calcium Gluconate... > > The tubes of Calgonate (calcium gluconate 2.5% gel) on my desk are 25g > each, or ~0.9 oz, which should be small enough for TSA. Also, I'm > told that while the "shelf life" is two years (perhaps like the "shelf > life" of many process gases) for Calgonate, there does seem to be some > actual data out that suggest that the useful life after opening is > much shorter, perhaps only months, or even weeks. Thus, repackaging > might be problematic. From agregg at abbiegregg.com Wed Jun 25 22:53:29 2014 From: agregg at abbiegregg.com (Abbie Gregg) Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 22:53:29 -0400 Subject: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? In-Reply-To: <53A9C1D2.2090702@cns.fas.harvard.edu> References: <1403598713.13175.46.camel@stephen-Q500A> <53A986CA.9020506@stanford.edu> <53A9C1D2.2090702@cns.fas.harvard.edu> Message-ID: <5863FB4055D90542A7A7DAE0CEF2ACB00E886E616D@E2K7CCR1.netvigour.com> Yes, UGIM was an awesome meeting this year!!!! Thanks again to Eric and Vicky!!! Abbie Gregg President Abbie Gregg, Inc. 1130 East University Drive, Suite 105 Tempe, Arizona 85281 Phone 480 446-8000 x 107 Cell 480-577-5083 FAX 480-446-8001 email agregg at abbiegregg.com website www.abbiegregg.com CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: ??All information contained in or attached to this email constitutes confidential information belonging to Abbie Gregg, Inc., its affiliates and subsidiaries and/or its clients.? This email and any attachments are proprietary and/or confidential and are intended for business use of the addressee(s) only. ??All other uses or disclosures are strictly prohibited.? If the reader is not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that the perusal, copying or dissemination of this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender, and delete all copies of this message and its attachments immediately. -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Mac Hathaway Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 11:22 AM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? Hello all, John's list sounds pretty good. Two things to add regarding HF/Calcium Gluconate... The tubes of Calgonate (calcium gluconate 2.5% gel) on my desk are 25g each, or ~0.9 oz, which should be small enough for TSA. Also, I'm told that while the "shelf life" is two years (perhaps like the "shelf life" of many process gases) for Calgonate, there does seem to be some actual data out that suggest that the useful life after opening is much shorter, perhaps only months, or even weeks. Thus, repackaging might be problematic. If anyone knows how to test calcium gluconate for "viability", or what the failure mode is (gluconate... maybe bacterial growth?), that would be interesting to know. I actually asked Calgonate Co. what happens after two years (their claimed shelf life), and they said... "We don't know, we never tried it beyond two years..." Huh. If you are ever looking at ALD equipment, you'll want to make sure that the precursor cylinders have been removed. These are usually inside the cabinet, and several may contain water/air reactive organo-metallic materials, very often including TMA (trimethyl aluminum), pyrophoric materials which will burst into flame if the fittings are accidentally loosened. Somewhat off-topic, it was a real pleasure to meet many of you this past week at the UGIM meeting. I never realized this list was such an integral part of our research endeavor! Mac Hathaway Wetbench Safety Guy Harvard CNS On 6/24/2014 10:10 AM, John Shott wrote: > Stephen: > > First my disclaimer: I am not a health and safety professional, but > have received donated equipment over the years: some of which have > been carefully decontaminated ... whereas other look as if they were > simply removed by cutting every line to the tool. > > Here are a few things that I would offer: > > 1. I would get a better set of gloves and probably more than one type. > It sounds as if you are using simple disposable or latex gloves. > Certainly something at bit more robust such as Trionic gloves would > provide better protection against exposure for a variety of acids. > Someone (I forget who) at UGIM was describing some lightweight Trionic > gloves that they liked ... I think that it may have been either the > MIT or Harvard EH&S folks who spoke during the Sunday introductory > session on safety. You probably also want something like nitrile > gloves that are better, I think, where solvent exposure is the primary > hazard. > > 2. I would always check were the closest safety shower or source of > water is. My guess is that you are likely often in locations where > there is no real safety shower ... but knowing where the nearest > restroom, running garden hose, etc would always be high on my list. > It's probably worth mention that to your host as a precondition to > your inspection. > > 3. While others may have their favorites, we like SpilFyter Chemical > Classifier strips that have several patches that can detect pH, > fluoride, oxidizer, and a few more things. When you are less certain > of the chemical, the strips that can detect more things are useful. > > 4. I think that Calcium Gluconate typically comes in tubes that are > larger than you can get through TSA. As a result, I'd pre-fill two or > three smaller plastic squeeze bottles so that you can get it through > TSA. I would also consider pre-shipping any other supplies to your > destination. > > 5. How about a cartridge respirator and a set of cartridges for > solvents, particles, etc? > > 6. For a measure of neutralization of surfaces, having some calcium > carbonate crystals that could be mixed into a dilute solution is > probably not a bad idea. If I am not mistaken, most professional > decon teams use calcium carbonate solution for anything that might > have been exposed to HF or fluoride-bearing solutions such as > implanter source boxes that have BF3 "crusty stuff" in them. > > 7. Some form of good eye protection against unexpected splashes is > important too. Note: while somewhat bulky, a full face respirator > would give you good eye protection in addition to fume protection. > > Those are some of the things that I would want to have with me if I > were about to do battle with a piece of equipment of unknown > provenance. I am confident, however, that some of the others on this > list will have more to add. > > Good luck, > > John > > > > On 6/24/2014 1:31 AM, Stephen Howe wrote: >> Dear Lab Network members, >> >> I would be interested in getting the network's suggestions regarding >> the following topic. >> >> As the owner and founder of Fabsurplus.com, a broker and reseller of >> used semiconductor manufacturing equipment, I spend around half of my >> time inspecting a wide selection of process equipment that has been >> in contact with a very wide range of chemicals. >> >> The machines inspected include CVD and PVD equipment, solvent and >> acid wet benches, pumps, implant equipment and lithography equipment. >> >> The equipment is typically "decontaminated" before we get to it. >> Sometimes, we get a decontamination certificate and MSDS sheets with >> the tool. This is very frequently a legal obligation prior to removal >> of the equipment from the factory. >> >> The precautions I adopt during inspection are:- >> >> 1. Check for presence of decontamination certificates and MSDS. >> 2. Wear some kind of disposable protective gloves during the inspection. >> 3. Remain aware of the potentially hazardous nature of any residues >> or fluids encountered during equipment inspections. >> 4. In the case any fluid is found, I check the pH of the fluid using >> indicator paper. >> In the case the indicator paper shows acid, decontamination >> procedures are followed. >> 5. Following inspection, gloves are removed and disposed of , and >> then I am always careful to thoroughly wash my hands. >> >> I would further comment that I have discovered around a pint of >> concentrated HF remaining in the machines I was inspecting on 2 >> occasions in the last 15 years, and other acids on one occasion. >> >> I am also concerned that HF may leach into the plastic of the >> equipment we come into contact with. >> Furthermore, we are now exposed to a new hazard from possible >> residual gases from excimer lasers used in photolithography. >> >> I have noted that in the event of leaks of HF occuring during the >> machine's use, the steel surfaces of the machines in question - >> typically inside the gas boxes, chamber outer parts - can have a >> floured or stained appearance. >> I wonder if lab network members can advise on any precautions >> necessary for the handling and decontamination of such discolored or >> floured surfaces ? >> >> I often travel around the world to do equipment inspections, and end >> up doing the inspections armed with a flashlight in a warehouse. >> Very often the warehouses were I do the inspection have no first aid >> kit for the treatment of HF exposure and also no kit for the >> detection and cleanup of acid spills. >> >> As such I was thinking of carrying with me a small , emergency kit. >> In that kit I was thinking of including:- >> >> 1. Litmus paper >> 2. HF paper >> 3. A tube of Calcium Gluconate Gel >> 4. Disposable overalls >> 5. Gloves suitable for applying the Calcium Gluconate gel to any >> exposure sufferer. >> >> I need to get though airport security and customs with the minimum of >> fuss. >> >> Given the extremely wide assortment of machines we at Fabsurplus.com >> inspect, can anyone suggest items I could do with in my "emergency >> kit" ? >> Can anyone suggest quantities of the items I am going to be able to >> get through airport security without having a huge hassle ? >> Can anyone suggest any procedures or experiences which might help me >> get a kit like this through international customs and airport >> security with the minimum of fuss? >> >> Thanks very much in anticipation for your responses. >> >> Yours sincerely, >> >> Stephen Howe >> Company Owner >> SDI Fabsurplus Group >> >> +1 830 388 1071 (Mobile) >> +39 335 710 7756 (Italy Mobile) >> Skype: Stephencshowe >> email: info at fabsurplus.com >> >> WWW.FABSURPLUS.COM >> Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA >> >> Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabsurplus >> Twitter: http://twitter.com/fabsurplus >> Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Fabsurplus >> >> Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> labnetwork mailing list >> labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu >> https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From ytousimis at tousimis.com Thu Jun 26 08:20:07 2014 From: ytousimis at tousimis.com (Yianni Tousimis) Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 08:20:07 -0400 Subject: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? In-Reply-To: <5863FB4055D90542A7A7DAE0CEF2ACB00E886E616D@E2K7CCR1.netvigour.com> References: <1403598713.13175.46.camel@stephen-Q500A> <53A986CA.9020506@stanford.edu> <53A9C1D2.2090702@cns.fas.harvard.edu> <5863FB4055D90542A7A7DAE0CEF2ACB00E886E616D@E2K7CCR1.netvigour.com> Message-ID: <00f601cf9138$f8dec9a0$ea9c5ce0$@tousimis.com> Agreed Abbie!! It was a real pleasure being there and a treat to be able to spend time in Annenberg and to finish up the conference with a great evening at the 'Ol Ball Paaaark'! Best Regards- Yianni Tel.# 301.881.2450 Fax.# 301.881.5374 Cell # 443.254.5423 2012 Microscopy Today Innovation Award Winner ???????? for 931 Autosamdri CPD System ?????????? ...innovation and quality... ??????????????? www.tousimis.com ????????????????? CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail transmission, and any documents, files or previous e-mail messages attached to it, may contain confidential information that is legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this message is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately notify us by reply e-mail at ytousimis at tousimis.com or by telephone at (301) 881-2450, and destroy the original transmission and its attachments without reading them or saving them to any memory device. Thank you. -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Abbie Gregg Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 10:53 PM To: Mac Hathaway; labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? Yes, UGIM was an awesome meeting this year!!!! Thanks again to Eric and Vicky!!! Abbie Gregg President Abbie Gregg, Inc. 1130 East University Drive, Suite 105 Tempe, Arizona 85281 Phone 480 446-8000 x 107 Cell 480-577-5083 FAX 480-446-8001 email agregg at abbiegregg.com website www.abbiegregg.com CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: ??All information contained in or attached to this email constitutes confidential information belonging to Abbie Gregg, Inc., its affiliates and subsidiaries and/or its clients.? This email and any attachments are proprietary and/or confidential and are intended for business use of the addressee(s) only. ??All other uses or disclosures are strictly prohibited.? If the reader is not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that the perusal, copying or dissemination of this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender, and delete all copies of this message and its attachments immediately. -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Mac Hathaway Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 11:22 AM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Precautions for the inspection and handling of used semiconductor manufacturing equipment ? Hello all, John's list sounds pretty good. Two things to add regarding HF/Calcium Gluconate... The tubes of Calgonate (calcium gluconate 2.5% gel) on my desk are 25g each, or ~0.9 oz, which should be small enough for TSA. Also, I'm told that while the "shelf life" is two years (perhaps like the "shelf life" of many process gases) for Calgonate, there does seem to be some actual data out that suggest that the useful life after opening is much shorter, perhaps only months, or even weeks. Thus, repackaging might be problematic. If anyone knows how to test calcium gluconate for "viability", or what the failure mode is (gluconate... maybe bacterial growth?), that would be interesting to know. I actually asked Calgonate Co. what happens after two years (their claimed shelf life), and they said... "We don't know, we never tried it beyond two years..." Huh. If you are ever looking at ALD equipment, you'll want to make sure that the precursor cylinders have been removed. These are usually inside the cabinet, and several may contain water/air reactive organo-metallic materials, very often including TMA (trimethyl aluminum), pyrophoric materials which will burst into flame if the fittings are accidentally loosened. Somewhat off-topic, it was a real pleasure to meet many of you this past week at the UGIM meeting. I never realized this list was such an integral part of our research endeavor! Mac Hathaway Wetbench Safety Guy Harvard CNS On 6/24/2014 10:10 AM, John Shott wrote: > Stephen: > > First my disclaimer: I am not a health and safety professional, but > have received donated equipment over the years: some of which have > been carefully decontaminated ... whereas other look as if they were > simply removed by cutting every line to the tool. > > Here are a few things that I would offer: > > 1. I would get a better set of gloves and probably more than one type. > It sounds as if you are using simple disposable or latex gloves. > Certainly something at bit more robust such as Trionic gloves would > provide better protection against exposure for a variety of acids. > Someone (I forget who) at UGIM was describing some lightweight Trionic > gloves that they liked ... I think that it may have been either the > MIT or Harvard EH&S folks who spoke during the Sunday introductory > session on safety. You probably also want something like nitrile > gloves that are better, I think, where solvent exposure is the primary > hazard. > > 2. I would always check were the closest safety shower or source of > water is. My guess is that you are likely often in locations where > there is no real safety shower ... but knowing where the nearest > restroom, running garden hose, etc would always be high on my list. > It's probably worth mention that to your host as a precondition to > your inspection. > > 3. While others may have their favorites, we like SpilFyter Chemical > Classifier strips that have several patches that can detect pH, > fluoride, oxidizer, and a few more things. When you are less certain > of the chemical, the strips that can detect more things are useful. > > 4. I think that Calcium Gluconate typically comes in tubes that are > larger than you can get through TSA. As a result, I'd pre-fill two or > three smaller plastic squeeze bottles so that you can get it through > TSA. I would also consider pre-shipping any other supplies to your > destination. > > 5. How about a cartridge respirator and a set of cartridges for > solvents, particles, etc? > > 6. For a measure of neutralization of surfaces, having some calcium > carbonate crystals that could be mixed into a dilute solution is > probably not a bad idea. If I am not mistaken, most professional > decon teams use calcium carbonate solution for anything that might > have been exposed to HF or fluoride-bearing solutions such as > implanter source boxes that have BF3 "crusty stuff" in them. > > 7. Some form of good eye protection against unexpected splashes is > important too. Note: while somewhat bulky, a full face respirator > would give you good eye protection in addition to fume protection. > > Those are some of the things that I would want to have with me if I > were about to do battle with a piece of equipment of unknown > provenance. I am confident, however, that some of the others on this > list will have more to add. > > Good luck, > > John > > > > On 6/24/2014 1:31 AM, Stephen Howe wrote: >> Dear Lab Network members, >> >> I would be interested in getting the network's suggestions regarding >> the following topic. >> >> As the owner and founder of Fabsurplus.com, a broker and reseller of >> used semiconductor manufacturing equipment, I spend around half of my >> time inspecting a wide selection of process equipment that has been >> in contact with a very wide range of chemicals. >> >> The machines inspected include CVD and PVD equipment, solvent and >> acid wet benches, pumps, implant equipment and lithography equipment. >> >> The equipment is typically "decontaminated" before we get to it. >> Sometimes, we get a decontamination certificate and MSDS sheets with >> the tool. This is very frequently a legal obligation prior to removal >> of the equipment from the factory. >> >> The precautions I adopt during inspection are:- >> >> 1. Check for presence of decontamination certificates and MSDS. >> 2. Wear some kind of disposable protective gloves during the inspection. >> 3. Remain aware of the potentially hazardous nature of any residues >> or fluids encountered during equipment inspections. >> 4. In the case any fluid is found, I check the pH of the fluid using >> indicator paper. >> In the case the indicator paper shows acid, decontamination >> procedures are followed. >> 5. Following inspection, gloves are removed and disposed of , and >> then I am always careful to thoroughly wash my hands. >> >> I would further comment that I have discovered around a pint of >> concentrated HF remaining in the machines I was inspecting on 2 >> occasions in the last 15 years, and other acids on one occasion. >> >> I am also concerned that HF may leach into the plastic of the >> equipment we come into contact with. >> Furthermore, we are now exposed to a new hazard from possible >> residual gases from excimer lasers used in photolithography. >> >> I have noted that in the event of leaks of HF occuring during the >> machine's use, the steel surfaces of the machines in question - >> typically inside the gas boxes, chamber outer parts - can have a >> floured or stained appearance. >> I wonder if lab network members can advise on any precautions >> necessary for the handling and decontamination of such discolored or >> floured surfaces ? >> >> I often travel around the world to do equipment inspections, and end >> up doing the inspections armed with a flashlight in a warehouse. >> Very often the warehouses were I do the inspection have no first aid >> kit for the treatment of HF exposure and also no kit for the >> detection and cleanup of acid spills. >> >> As such I was thinking of carrying with me a small , emergency kit. >> In that kit I was thinking of including:- >> >> 1. Litmus paper >> 2. HF paper >> 3. A tube of Calcium Gluconate Gel >> 4. Disposable overalls >> 5. Gloves suitable for applying the Calcium Gluconate gel to any >> exposure sufferer. >> >> I need to get though airport security and customs with the minimum of >> fuss. >> >> Given the extremely wide assortment of machines we at Fabsurplus.com >> inspect, can anyone suggest items I could do with in my "emergency >> kit" ? >> Can anyone suggest quantities of the items I am going to be able to >> get through airport security without having a huge hassle ? >> Can anyone suggest any procedures or experiences which might help me >> get a kit like this through international customs and airport >> security with the minimum of fuss? >> >> Thanks very much in anticipation for your responses. >> >> Yours sincerely, >> >> Stephen Howe >> Company Owner >> SDI Fabsurplus Group >> >> +1 830 388 1071 (Mobile) >> +39 335 710 7756 (Italy Mobile) >> Skype: Stephencshowe >> email: info at fabsurplus.com >> >> WWW.FABSURPLUS.COM >> Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA >> >> Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabsurplus >> Twitter: http://twitter.com/fabsurplus >> Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Fabsurplus >> >> Japan-Italy-Ireland-USA >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> labnetwork mailing list >> labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu >> https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork > > > _______________________________________________ > labnetwork mailing list > labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu > https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork