CleanRooms articles from August 2003

CleanRooms archives from August 2003

CleanRooms West sheds light on ESD and where the money goes.(Clean Zone. Electrostatic discharge)
August 1, 2003... ANAHEIM, CALIF. -- Where does the money go in your cleanroom project? It's a question we ask ourselves regularly, and it's an issue that will be tackled in a conference session on designing and constructing controlled environments at CleanRooms...

Lighthouse unveils 0.2-micron, handheld particle counter.
August 1, 2003... MILPITAS, CALIF. -- In a rather surprising entrepreneurial shift that has the potential to significantly impact environmental monitoring in a gamut of industries, Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, a longtime systems developer, has unveiled a...

Rising MEMS use spurs growth in contamination control technology.(Microelectromechanical systems )
August 1, 2003... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- For years, researchers developing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have demonstrated working contraptions smaller than a grain of sand--work that has garnered more than just an academic interest. Now, the...

Iowa bioprocess rolls virtual reality unit.
August 1, 2003... DENNYVILLE, IOWA -- A new mobile virtual reality recruiting and training tool that models biotechnology fermentation is making its way around the Iowa countryside this fall in an effort to drive students to the state's new $4 million bioprocess...

What's this "new normal" everyone's feeling?(Viewpoint)(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... As usual, my carry-on bag was bloated with analyst reports, predictions and prophecies gathered while racing to appointments with equipment manufacturers and contamination control thought leaders at SEMICON West 2003. These reports are now...

Boosting IEST recognition is goal for newly elected contamination control VP.(News. Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology )(Interview)
August 1, 2003... Gordon Ely has recently been elected technical vice president of contamination control, a post on the executive board of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST; Rolling Meadows, Ill.) For nearly 13 years, Ely has...

DuPont buys Knight's non-woven line: White Knight will still maintain cleanroom market presence.(News)
August 1, 2003... CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- White Knight Engineered Products, a manufacturer of reuseable and disposable textile products, has sold its non-woven apparel line to DuPont Nonwovens (Wilmington Del.). But the sale doesn't mean the member of the garment...

Sony's seller.(particles)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Sony Electronics Inc, has named Philadelphia-based Binswanger/CBB as its exclusive agent for the sale of the company's high-tech manufacturing complex here. Sony is shutting down its microchip plant in the Alamo City....

Leaping Laureate.(particles)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... PRINCETON N.J -- Laureate Pharma L.P. has expanded its purification capacity with a new automated chromatography system for processing protein products under current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs), The unit is specifically designed for...

Cintas changes.(particles)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The board of directors of Cintas Cord, has named Scott D. Farmer as chief executive officer and president of the cleanroom garment manufacturing company. Robert J. Kohthepp, current CEO. will become vice chairman and active...

Asyst awarded.(particles)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... FREMONT, Calif. -- Asyst Technologies Inc. has won a multi-million dollar order to provide its 300-mm automated material handling system (AMHS) to UMCi, a Singapore-based 300-mm joint venture tab between United Microelectronics Corp, Infineon...

A cleanroom miracle.(On The Beat)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... I was barely 18 when he plowed through the door of the Respite House, where I was interviewing for a part-time job working with the developmentally disabled. He was lanky, but intimidating in those padded gloves and that masked hockey...

Standards are good, but are they essential?(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... The column "All standards are not created Equal..." (CleanRooms, April 2003, pg. 11) only addresses a part of a much bigger issue. I dare say that not only are all standards not created equal, but some may not even be necessary. Beyond...

Still waiting for the stampede to ISO 14644-1?(Setting The Standard)
August 1, 2003... Hank Hogan recently wrote a news article for CleanRooms exploring the relatively slow pace of the changeover from Federal Standard (FS) 209E to the newer ISO 14644-1. This month, we will follow up on Hogan's theme and coolly suggest that...

New thinking on cleanroom air-flow modeling.(Electronics)
August 1, 2003... Over the years, most semiconductor cleanrooms have been built with their air filters mounted in the ceiling--a configuration initially referred to as a vertical laminar flow (VLF) installation. This description has long since been...

Displays go organic: manufacturers of organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays eat up contamination control lessons learned from flat panel pioneers.(Special Report)
August 1, 2003... The outlook for the flat panel display industry is anything but flat. Spared the economic malaise that's afflicting the rest the global electronics community, the worldwide display market will likely reach $60 billion this year, up from $50...

Critical environment pad.(Inventor's Corner)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A cleaning/polishing pad that has an outer surface (A) with raised rows of nubs (B) and having interspersed troughs (C). The troughs, which may contain polishing/cleaning chemicals, are divided into first and second groups of substantially...

Garment managing system.(Inventor's Corner)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The invention is a system that proves garments with inherent identification data. A measuring part of the system calculates the garment's cleanliness and outputs the information to a database that identifies contaminants. Newly acquired data is...

Filter-valve assembly..(Inventor's Corner)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The filter and valve canister, shown below, contains a filter (A) that has an outer cylindrical casing (B) with a top (C), a bottom (D) and a connecting tube (E). A seal (F) may either be an adhesive or screw-fit, while the filter cartridge is...

Next-generation valve design for copper CMP: addressing agglomeration, shear forces, contamination and waste: the movement from aluminum to copper seeding and the attending challenges of copper CMP have placed tremendous responsibility on slurry delivery systems. New designs, new thinking begin to emerge.(Valve design)
August 1, 2003... Copper physical vapor deposition (PVD) seeding and subsequent fill by electroplating has become the process of choice for microchip fabrication. As line widths shrink, aluminum becomes insufficiently effective as a conductor of electricity....

Electrodeionization is latest configuration for UPW ion exchange: method is quickly gaining ground in pharmaceutical cleanroom operations for continuous, on-line regeneration capability free of regeneration chemicals.(DPW advances)
August 1, 2003... Ion exchange (IE) columns and reverse osmosis (RO) stages are probably the most important steps in the treatment chain (filtration, degasification and sterilization are other typical operations) used to produce the ultrapure water (UPW)...

Gloves.(Product Spotlight)
August 1, 2003... Trust your senses when choosing a cleanroom glove The quest for ever-cleaner operations has never been more focused, especially now that contamination control professionals are setting their sights on the molecular battlefield to combat...

Latex/synthetic glove.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... The powder-free glove, 16-mils thick at the fingertip, is intended for use in trauma situations and the handling of cytotoxic drugs, and has been tested and certified for use in chemotherapy. It has a copolymer interior that provides a...

Tri-polymer glove.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... The TRIonic 521 and 522 are 20 mil, Z-grip, hand-specific tri-polymer gloves that are processed and packaged for critically clean applications, ISO 4 and above. According to the manufacturer, the gloves not only protect the product, they also...

The acid test.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... The AciTek acid glove, made from 100 percent latex polymer, is designed to provide flexibility and extended wear comfort, along with protection from a wide spectrum of acids, etchants and solvents. It features an aggressive grip pattern for...

A hand in the future.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... DuraClean with Lycra gloves are designed to exceed current and future critical environment requirements through inherent material cleanliness, no outgassing, low-level ionics, non-cytotoxicity, and reuseability. Billed as "risk reduction...

Re-useable liners.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... BCR nylon single-knit glove liners are designed for comfort and protection during extended use in critical environments, and are lightweight, re-useable, and re-launderable. All nylon gloves feature a fiber construction that allows for moisture...

Nitrile finger cots.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... Made from a patented formula, nitrile finger cots do not contain natural latex proteins that may cause allergic reactions. Each washable, anti-static 3-mil cot is rolled to make donning easier, and is available in four sizes. North Safety...

For controlled environments.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... The CE 4 System glove line (for ISO4 level classification) consists of 12-inch latex and nitrile, sterile and non-sterile, ambidextrous, and hand-specific styles. The CE 5 System (for IS05 level classification) includes 9-inch and 12-inch latex...

Extra strength at hand.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... Among several recent glove offerings from Techniglove International, the powder-free, 100 percent nitrile X Glove is 8 mils. thick, designed to provide extra strength and protection in the cleanroom. This fully-textured glove offers a secure...

Fully textured, ambidextrous.(Gloves)
August 1, 2003... The Glove Nitrile White, Class 10 process, offers an ambidextrous shape, beaded cuff, and 12-inch length with a fully-textured design for secure gripping. The glove conforms to: Recommended Practice for Cleanroom Gloves; Standard Specifications...

SARS is dog-ate-my-lunch excuse.(News)(Severe acute respiratory syndrome)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... AUSTIN, TEXAS -- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has become the "dog-ate-my-lunch" excuse for semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturers suffering from soft market revenues, according to an official at Martin Capital Advisors...

CleanRooms China 2003 rescheduled to December.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... NASHUA, N.H. -- While travel restrictions have been lifted throughout Asia Pacific and Toronto where severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has come under control, ongoing global concerns as well as limited company travel have prompted the...

Configurable workstations.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... The modular Arlink Series 8000 workstations can be configured in a variety of heights and lengths, and are available in six standard industry widths and in five different heights up to 84 inches. The Definite Positioning System, with the...

Static-control tile.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... ValuStat is a line of 2-mm solid vinyl static-control tile, which is complemented by the #160 conductive adhesive. The #160 one-part, zero VOC acrylic adhesive offers a five-pound moisture guarantee. The tile is offered in both Conductile...

Coating robot.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... The P-50 coating robot offers a maximum horizontal reach of 1360 mm and coating speeds as high as 1500 mm per second. Accuflow closed-loop fluid delivery automatically maintains programmed flow rates, while Collision Guard monitors for...

Piping system.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... The PolyPure natural polypropylene piping system for pure water applications comprises a selection of pipes, fittings and valves, including vortex flow meters and gooseneck faucets, This cleanroom-produced natural polypro pipe system is...

Just where does the isolator fit in?(Unfiltered)(contamination control systems equipment)
August 1, 2003... EDITOR'S NOTE: There's considerable debate in the compounding pharmacy segment concerning the proper design of a safe and manageable contamination control system incorporating isolators. In this month's Unfiltered, we decided to share a recent...