CleanRooms articles from July 2002

CleanRooms archives from July 2002

Advanced process uses existing fab technology.(IQE Silicon Compounds Ltd.; AmberWave Systems Corp.)
July 1, 2002... IN THE SEMICONDUCTOR IN-dustry, there are lots of holy grails. But perhaps one of the holiest is the ability to advance Moore's law using existing process equipment and facilities. One recent quest in pursuit of this goal has led to a...

EU mulls GMPs for investigational drugs.
July 1, 2002... BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -- A RECENT PRO-posal by the European Commission would require that all investigational new drugs (INDs) meet the same good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements as authorized medicinal products. Notable changes for...

Environmental monitoring goes real time: future lab management systems could play key role in CFR Part 11 compliance.
July 1, 2002... FORT WASHINGTON, PA -- IF THE game telephone taught us anything as kids, it's that the story is continually muddled each time it is whispered into another ear. The same phenomenon may happen if environmental monitoring data is recorded...

Dealing with FDA inspectors. (Reporter's Notebook).
July 1, 2002... NEW YORK CITY -- THE SEEMINGLY IDLE Thursday morning changes dramatically when the receptionist pages you and tells you there are three inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the lobby. You, the quality manager of a...

SCS relocates division. (Particles).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Specialty Coating Systems (SCS) is relocating its long-standing Instruments Group from Atlanta, GA, to its worldwide headquarters in Indianapolis, IN. SCS is a division of Cookson Electronics Equipment Group, a division of Cookson Electronics....

Airflow Systems, Fab-Tech merge. (Particles).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Fab-Tech Inc. has merged into Airflow Systems Inc. (Dallas, TX), a manufacturer of industrial air filtration systems for manufacturing, processing, commercial and vehicle exhaust applications. Fab-Tech's metalworking equipment includes a newly...

PSU opens materials research lab. (Particles).(Penn State University)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Penn State University has dedicated the W.M. Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory, which features a controlled-environment cleanroom and equipment to create the next generation of integrated devices. Located in the Materials Research...

Microbia raises financing. (Particles).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Microbia Inc. (Cambridge, MA) has raised approximately $26 million in a Series C private equity financing, bringing the total amount raised since inception to $59 million. The round was led by Fidelity Biosciences Group, a division of Fidelity...

Ointment reduces nosocomial infections.
July 1, 2002... PHILADELPHIA -- A NEW ENGLAND Journal of Medicine study indicates that applying mupirocin ointment in the noses of patients before surgery significantly reduces the rate of staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) nosocomial infections among patients...

Stethoscope sheath stops staph.
July 1, 2002... PLYMOUTH, CT -- A RECENT STUDY IN the Archives of Internal Medicine (Tucson, AZ) revealed that 80 percent of health professionals' stethoscopes were contaminated with bacteria, especially methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the...

Nanotechnology patents service. (Particles).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... To meet the growing information needs of the nanotechnology industry Derwent Information (Alexandria, VA) announced a service called Nanotechnology -- Structures and Devices: The Industry and Technology Patents Profile (ITP) provides...

Bosch announces new compliance products. (Particles).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Bosch Packaging Technology (Minneapolis, MN) announced the addition of a wide range of new offerings to their Regulatory Compliance Products. New services include Quality Plans (utilizing the Bosch quality system and project management),...

JGA acquires ICCI. (Particles).(Jon Goldman Associates Inc.; Integrated Control Concepts Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Jon Goldman Associates Inc. (JGA; Orange, CA), manufacturer of data capture and process management software for the semiconductor industry, has acquired Integrated Control Concepts Inc. (ICCI; Hollis, NH), which manufactures diffusion and LPCVD...

Daifuku signs agreement with Brooks Automation. (Particles).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Daifuku Co. Ltd. and Eskay Corp. (Salt Lake City, UT) have announced a revised agreement with Brooks Automation allowing Daifuku and Eskay to independently sell, service and support ISO Class 5 MCS material control software for semiconductor...

Technology on the brink of total compliance control. (Viewpoint).(Column)
July 1, 2002... If you're a loyal reader of this column, you may recall that I once stated that the actual "technological development" going into cleanroom equipment and supplies was proceding at a snail's pace, that you would undoubtedly garner more...

Stepping up to the partnership plate. (Viewpoint).
July 1, 2002... You've got a great arm and major league aspirations. And by some miraculous blessing, two of the greatest pitchers in baseball, Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox, and Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks, offer to share their...

Boundary layers: small regions, huge impact. (Electronics).
July 1, 2002... The transition region between different materials in intimate contact can have profound effects. Consider the p-n junction, the metal-semiconductor contact, the oxide-silicon interface and thermocouples--all examples of solid-solid interfaces....

Begin contamination control with an end in mind. (Life Sciences).(Editorial)
July 1, 2002... A contamination control system consists of engineering controls, work practice, administrative controls and personal protective equipment. To find solutions for contamination problems that work for you and are cost effective, it's imperative to...

Maintaining a delicate balance: the world's semiconductor manufacturers are taking waste stream management to heart as new reclaim technologies begin to make environmental and economic sense. (Special Report).(Industry Overview)
July 1, 2002... Often the result of government mandate, contamination control of airborne and waterborne waste is starting to make environmental and economic sense to the world's semiconductor manufacturers. As a matter of fact, waste streams are being turned...

BD BBL[TM] Sterile Pack Prepared Plated Media. (Introducing BD Sterile Pack Media Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... BD now offers BBL[TM] Isolator Pack Prepared Plated Media, specially packaged for isolators and developed with the same quality standards as the original BBL[TM] Sterile Pack Plated Media. With new multi-wrap packaging, the media has been...

BD Sterile Pack Bottles. (Introducing BD Sterile Pack Media Products).
July 1, 2002... Since nothing should compromise the integrity of your cleanroom, BD is proud to announce the availability of double-bagged liquid media. When the highest Sterility Assurance Level is needed, BD Sterile Pack Bottles are ideal. The bottles are...

BD Sterile Pack Swabs. (Introducing BD Sterile Pack Media Products).
July 1, 2002... BD BBL[TM] Sterile Pack Swabs are the first, double wrapped ready-to-use sterile swabs for surface sampling, combined with a rinse solution-filled tube. Sterile Pack Swabs eliminate the uncertainty that environmental samples could be...

Clean HEPA replacement. (Inventor's Corner).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The invention is a method and apparatus for replacing spent HEPA filters without contaminating the surrounding environment. The filter housing is cylindrical and has a filter-receiving cavity that is made up of receiving and removing ends. An...

Air filter and packaging. (Inventor's Corner).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The invention outlines a packaged air filter part and a method of packaging the air filter part to suppress the absorption of organic substances. The air filter unit (A) is encased within a material (B), forming the packaged filter (C). The...

ISO9000:2000 certification. (Particles).(for LM Air Technology)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... LM Air Technology (Rahway, NJ) has received its ISO9000:2000 certification. They are the first cleanroom manufacturer to receive such certification. The certification is an 18-month process, which includes requirements for implementing quality...

Reflow and cleaning apparatus. (Inventor's Corner).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A compact reflow oven and cleaning apparatus has unitary housings for both the reflow and cleaning functions, which saves valuable floor space in printed circuit board assembly areas. The unitary housing and control of temperatures in the...

Clean air device. (Inventor's Corner).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The invention is an air device designed for the pharmaceutical, food and biotechnology industries. It has at least one fan (A) for bringing fresh air (B) into the cleanroom and for removing return air (C), at least one filter (D) downstream of...

Surgical suite utopia achieved: forget your budget. Here are the technologies you need to equip an operating room with the cleanest and most sterile air filtration system available. (Hospital/Healthcare).
July 1, 2002... State building and health codes dictate many of the controls that keep hospital operating suites largely free from serious infections that can cause health safety concerns and costly liability. Yet these controls, at times, fall short....

Determining particle composition: consider the path to the source; Raman spectroscopy can put a name on contamination and optimize the particle-counting process. (Particle Counting).
July 1, 2002... Quick identification of contamination sources in cleanroom environments are fundamental for a clean and smooth-running production process. Conclusions regarding contamination sources are perhaps best drawn from precise information collected...

Armchair insight on cleanroom furniture. (Product Spotlight).
July 1, 2002... Furnishing a cleanroom with a tables and chairs is not as cut and dried as it sounds. In fact, the furniture and other accoutrements needed in a cleanroom, whether it is a table, chair, cabinet, cart or wastebasket, must be constructed of...

Dataloggers. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Datalogger kits are appropriate when continuous monitoring and documentation of temperature and/or humidity are critical. The dataloggers in combination with Evaluation software meet the following U.S. Food & Drug Administration requirements:...

Scrubber. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Each eductor scrubber is custom-engineered to meet specific performance requirements. It is easily staged with other collection devices such as impingement plate scrubbers or packed towers. Where extremely high efficiencies are required,...

Swabs. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Designed for hard-to-reach places, the ready-to-use sterile pack swabs for industrial uses can fit easily into equipment recesses, nooks and crevices. Extra measures have been taken to ensure the highest levels of sterility for environmental...

Conductive tray carts. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Conductive tray carts store and transport printed circuit boards safely and easily on 26 x 20-inch ESD trays with ESD protective mats. A locking safety arm at each end keeps the trays securely in place. Two heights are available. The 46-inch...

Washer. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... The Lift Station Well Washer is a safer alternative to manually entering and removing oil and grease residues built-up inside lift station wells. The product acts to disperse grease and oil and prevent accumulation within the wastewater...

IR detector. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Pirvol is a point-infrared volumetric combustible gas monitor that measures hydrocarbon in the range of 0 to 100 percent by volume. Ideally suited to oil and gas wellhead mud-logging, hydrocarbon processing and a variety of other extractive...

Nitrogen gas generator. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Maxigas uses a carbon molecular sieve to separate the oxygen from compressed air to provide high-purity nitrogen alone. This compact system enables users to generate clean, dry nitrogen where it is wanted, avoiding the need for supplies from...

Disposable capsule filter. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Kleenpak Nova capsule filters have a t-style inlet/outlet configuration, which is appropriate for manifolding multiple filters in a series or parallel configuration. The filters can be configured with 10-, 20- or 30-inch length standard Pall...

Conveyor. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... The Easy Clean Slip-Torque conveyor is engineered to reduce the surfaces where contaminants can collect and facilitates thorough cleaning. It has USDA, BISSC and National Sanitation Foundation criteria incorporated in its design and...

Laminar-flow workstation. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... AirClean laminar-flow workstation is recommended for any ISO Class 5 requirement that does not produce by-products that can contaminate the worker or production area. The workstation is offered in both vertical-and horizontal-flow versions. The...

Modular air filters. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... The air filters are designed to be added to or reduced in size for whatever change a facility is going through. Each filter is supplied with a venturi-assisted reverse pulse cleaning system with air tank. It can be used in a variety of...

Oven. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... The LCC2-14 is a 14-cubic-foot pass-through depyrogenation and sterilization oven that enables life science companies to consistently replicate their processes from R&D to clinical trials to small-scale production. It complies with cGMP...

Armrest. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... A new armrest, supplied on many ergonomic chair models from the company, replaces the knob for armrest height adjustment with a finger-activated control that is easier to use. Instead of the twisting motion required to turn the knob, a seated...

Glove liners. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... GcA line of polyester glove liners are made with 100 percent continuous filament, knitted polyester for maximum softness, comfort and protection during extended periods of use in critical environments. BCR half-finger glove liners provide...

Washer/dryer. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Three high-performance under-counter, laboratory glassware washers/dryers clean and disinfect glassware to meet a variety of lab requirements. Available units include a compact model with peristaltic pumps, side storage for cleaning liquids and...

Motor operation. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... The DC Mode of motor operation is capable of yielding discrete moves of one nanometer. The methodology combines the standard resonant mode for long travel and high speed with the non-resonant mode. Once in position, the non-resonant mode can be...

Soap system. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... All-N-1 is a disposable, self-contained soap system that includes the dispenser and soap unit. As soap is depleted, maintenance professionals discard the unit, which is recyclable, and install a new one. The system is made of durable...

Fiber-optic illuminator. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... The Mule Luce Model 1000 fiber-optic illuminator is designed to withstand the rigors of virtually all microscopy and machine vision system applications, including assembly, inspection and medical laboratory analysis. A high-impact, polymer...

Tape. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... SleeveSeal, a conformable polyethylene tape, is used to ensure an effective seal between the glove and garment in cleanroom gowning. Perforations at three-inch intervals enable the user to bind and tear at optimum length to secure the glove....

Loop calibrator. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... The rugged, handheld UPS III loop calibrator is HART compatible and CE compliant to EN61326-1, which meets the demand standards for heavy industrial use. Measure source range is 0 to 24mA. In addition, 0 to 60Vdc can be measured for loop...

Disinfectant. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... CiDecon ST is a sterile concentrated phenolic disinfectant, which is individually double-bagged and gamma-irradiated before undergoing a 14-day sterility test. Each case is shipped with a lot-specific document detailing QC, irradiation and...

Degreaser. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Cable Clean Degreaser is a high-voltage splice cleaner that contains no chlorinated solvents. It removes grease, oil, wax, dirt, silicone lubricants and other contaminants. It also helps current leakage, excessive resistance, reduced...

Data logger. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... The Series BDL Button Data Logger is 17 mm in diameter and 6 mm thick, is able to record data for one year. The unit is housed in a stainless-steel case and is water resistant. The operating temperature range is from -4 to 185 degrees...

Low pressure monitor. (New Products).
July 1, 2002... Echoline provides remote or point-of-use low pressure monitoring of gas cabinet exhaust systems during semiconductor manufacturing processes. A Maintenance Mode feature prevents false trips during ventilation system balancing and simplifies...

Majestic Companies forms Majestic Glove Box. (Particles).
July 1, 2002... The Majestic Companies Ltd. (Everett, WA) has formed Majestic Glove Box Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Majestic Safe-T-Products Ltd. According to Adrian Corbett, president of Majestic Safe-T-Products, "The formation of Majestic Glove Box...

Vibration solutions. (Literature Bulletinboard).
July 1, 2002... TMC's new 114-page Resource Guide 2002 presents its full line of vibration isolation systems and equipment. Includes patented CleanTop(tm) II steel honeycomb optical top and STACIS(r) active piezoelectric vibration cancellation system....

DRI-STEEM's humidification solutions. (Literature Bulletinboard).
July 1, 2002... DRI-STEEM Humidifier company offers a complete line of humidifiers, dispersion systems, and microprocessors that can perform virtually any function needed for accurate, no-interruptiple relative humidity control. for over 35 years, DRI-STEEM...

Cleanroom airflows Part II: the messy details. (Unfiltered).
July 1, 2002... In our May column, we discussed some of the basics of cleanroom airflow. Remember that unidirectional-flow rooms depend on a "piston effect" for their cleaning action since that design strives to minimize turbulence and the mixing of parallel...

Clean enclosure systems. (Advertisement).
July 1, 2002... Servicor's HEPAStation[TM] is a completely portable Class 100 (or better) laminar flow workstation at an affordable price. Constructed from baked powder-coated tubular steel, the HEPAStation[TM] comes in standard 2'x4', 2'x6' and 2'x8' sizes...

Portable Wall units. (Advertisement).
July 1, 2002... Servicor's FastWall[TM] units provide a portable clean enclosure system in minutes. Simply arrange the panels and telescope to the desired height (5'4" to 10'2" on standard models). The system is designed specifically for cleanroom use, uses...

Garment Enclosures. (Advertisement).
July 1, 2002... Extend the life of your cleanroom garments with Servicor's Class 100 (or better) Clean Air Garment Enclosure[TM] (C.A.G.E.). The HEPA filter placed atop this unit bathes your cleanroom suits and smocks with 14 air changes per minute, which...

Cleanroom curtains. (Advertisement).
July 1, 2002... Limit traffic, control airflow, and minimize electrostatic discharge at the same time with Servicor's Servi-Stat II[TM] antistatic vinyl curtains. Available as sliding track accordian-style curtains, laminar flow shields (ClearShield[TM]), room...