CleanRooms articles from October 2003

CleanRooms archives from October 2003

CleanRooms Puerto Rico: the basics and beyond.(CleanZone)
October 1, 2003... SAN JUAN -- Whether it's a refresher course in contamination control practices or a technical session on containment in high potent compound processing, CleanRooms Puerto Rico 2003 will be a forum where end users can gain an edge in the...

Defect inspection system helps yield better phase masks.(News)
October 1, 2003... FARUM, DENMARK -- After a "run-in" period, Ibsen Photonics A/S says the manufacturing process of its holographic phase mask line has been successfully relocated from an ISO Class 5 to a newly built 14,000 square-foot ISO Class 4 cleanroom...

Book-to-bill shows recovery gaining strength.(News)
October 1, 2003... SAN JOSE, CALIF. -- For the first time since March, North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers in July saw an uptick in billings and new orders, resulting in their best book-to-bill ratio since the cold dark days of February....

FDA boosts cGMP initiative for risk-based manufacturing.(News)(Current Good Manufacturing Practices)(Food and Drug Administration)
October 1, 2003... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- A final guidance on the use of electronic records and signatures as well as four draft documents on aseptic processing, resolving disputes over scientific and technical issues, protocols and process analytical technology are...

Automakers push contamination control.(Viewpoint)
October 1, 2003... With all of the unfolding contamination control guidelines and cleanroom technology adaptation in the life sciences and semiconductor markets, it's easy to overlook some of the ground-breaking initiatives that the world's automakers and auto...

Thin film-coating manufacturer expands with modular cleanroom.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... SYRACUSE, NY -- Production was down for only 24 hours at Cold Springs, an international quartz crystal sensor and thin film-coating manufacturer, while a modular cleanroom manufactured by SBB Inc. was relocated to a new, larger facility. ...

Advanced manufacturing demands have toolmakers contemplating plunge into immersion lithography.(News)
October 1, 2003... AUSTIN, TEXAS -- Following International Sematech's recent endorsement, the semiconductor industry may embark on a wet--but insiders hope not wild--ride down the road toward immersion lithography. In immersion lithography, the space between...

Buffet gone bad.(particles)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... KENNESAW, Ga. -- Health officials here have determined that a buffet restaurant was the source of a salmonella outbreak that may have killed one patron and sickened more than two-dozen others. Lab tests found an unusual strain of salmonella...

Chip giant construts in Chengdu.(particles)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... HONG KONG -- Chipmaking giant Intel Corp. says it will build a $357 million assembly and test plant in western China that is slated to begin operations in 2005 or 2006. Construction on the plant in Chengdu, located in the Sichuan province,...

Infineon swooshes to Shanghai.(particles)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... SHANGHAI -- While it is no stranger to the region, Infineon Technologies AG has opened its China headquarters in this busting techno-metropolis. The memory maker has set up several agreements there, including a 300-mm manufacturing deal...

Calling all soul-searchers.(On The Beat)(Editorial)
October 1, 2003... Naysayers may believe the Food and Drug Administration's latest plans to revamp current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) are way too ambitious, but to the believers, it may just be a dream come true that promises to catapult life sciences...

What's behind the curtain.(cleanexchange)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... Addressed to Robert Donovan: I read with interest your article, "New thinking on cleanroom air-flow modeling" (CleanRooms, August 2003, p.11), and was quite surprised to see the effects of the curtain in the air flow patterns. What happens...

Why control humidity in a cleanroom?(humidity control methods )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Relative humidity is one of the environmental conditions usually specified for cleanroom operations. Relative humidity in a semiconductor cleanroom is typically controlled to a target value somewhere within the 30 to 50 percent range, and with...

Effects of filtration mechanisms on particles of various sizes.(Setting The Standard)
October 1, 2003... Last month, we discussed filters and how they work. We re viewed the three primary filtration mechanisms--interception, impaction and diffusion. We also briefly described sieving (the mechanism represented by a fly against a window screen) as a...

Cleaning up automotive manufacturing: automakers continue an innovative, steady drive toward contamination-free manufacturing.(Special Report)
October 1, 2003... There are likely a million contamination control stories in Motor City, and this month, Clean Rooms brings you three. Automakers are among the key new user groups of clean manufacturing technologies, with automotive paint spray operations...

Ion emitter bar.(Ionizers)
October 1, 2003... Designed to control electrostatic charges, the ScorpION ion emitter bar's aerodynamic shape minimizes disturbance of unidirectional airflow. Its small size and 24-V DC supply requirements make it especially suitable for use inside tools, flow...

Monitor and adjust ionization.(Ionizers)
October 1, 2003... The Pulsed-DC Ionizer Model 5225 AeroBar is designed to provide complete control over all ionization parameters through a host computer interface connecting over either TCP/IP Ethernet or RS-485. The manufacturer says its control architecture...

Hands-free ionizing air gun.(Ionizers)
October 1, 2003... A high pressure ionizing air gun, the HPS-III Hands Free is designed to simultaneously neutralize and clean medical components, molded components, molded parts, photographic films, glass and other electronically-charged products. Especially...

Closed-loop ionizer controller.(Ionizers)
October 1, 2003... The Series 3300 Ionizing Controller is designed to address customer requirements to control either a multi-fan single ionizer (2- or 3-fan) or multiple single-fan ionizers. It offers data output to report any alarm condition to the company's...

Always-on guns.(Ionizers)
October 1, 2003... For use in ISO Class 5 or less cleanrooms, the P-2021-2432 ionizing guns are designed to eliminate the potential for particle contamination. The always-on guns do not require a high-voltage power supply, and are designed to be used with...

APC: a factory-wide strategy for ultimate yield improvement; advanced process control will become an integral part of next-generation, factory-wide planning as chip makers look to sharpen overall contamination control.(Advanced Process Control)
October 1, 2003... As the semiconductor manufacturing industry becomes increasingly competitive under the current economic conditions, chip manufacturers continue to look for new ways to maintain a sharp, competitive edge. The industry is rapidly reaching...

Clipping the ESD problem at the knees: methods of measurement lend added confidence in the assessment of materials before you establish an ESD management program.(Static measurement)(Electrostatic Discharge)
October 1, 2003... The quantity of electrostatic charge transferred by rubbing and sliding type actions is limited in practice by the intensity of the mechanical action and by the character of the materials involved. What is important is the surface potential...

Gas stream filter.(Inventor's Corner)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The insert filter (A) cleans gas streams, particularly the intake air of an internal combustion engine or an air-conditioning unit, and includes a filter frame (B), a filter element (C) and a shaft cover (D) within the shaft (E) of a duct...

Material delivery system.(Inventor's Corner)
October 1, 2003... The material delivery system (A) is particularly useful for cleanrooms and minienvironments, and includes a station (B) and a table (C) that contains several apertures (D), where trays (E) are stacked. The material delivery system is...

Melt-spun polyester.(Inventor's Corner)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... This apparatus feeds two separate thermoplastic polymers into the hoppers (A and B), and then transports into extruders (C and D), which melt and pressurize the polymer through filters (E and F). The polymers are then combined in the spin...

Sterile alcohols.(New Product Showcase)
October 1, 2003... TexShield sterile 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and sterile 70 percent isopropyl alcohol with WFI--used for surface cleaning, cleaning gloved hands in sterile suites and wiping down items for pass through into a controlled environment--are...

Monitoring software.(New Product Showcase)
October 1, 2003... Intended for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications, FMS2 software complies with 21 CFR Part 11 and provides complete and secure monitoring of all environmental parameters, such as particle counts, temperature, pressure and relative...

Particle counter.(New Product Showcase)
October 1, 2003... Long Life Laser technology extends the average service life of the Met One particle counter's laser to more than 10 years. The technology is backed by a three-year standard warranty for most products and a five-year extended warranty for some....

Fan filter module.(New Product Showcase)
October 1, 2003... FM2-LE fan filter modules offer high performance and low operating costs. The backward curved impeller coupled with the AstroCel II LPD series multi-pleat HEPA filter result in the economical delivery of clean air that meets the most demanding...

Aerosol particle counter.(New Product Showcase)
October 1, 2003... Using a thermally chilled, solid-state diode laser to count 0.1-micron particles, the Lasair II offers what the manufacturer claims are accuracy, reduced operating costs, reliability and longevity. The product stores 3000 samples. Users can...

Reactivity monitor.(New Product Showcase)
October 1, 2003... The Lighthouse Reactivity Monitor's copper and silver-plated quartz crystal micro-balance sensors measure the mass accumulation of corrosion films formed from the reaction between contaminants and the sensors. This method of measurement...

Anti-skid tape.(New Product Showcase)
October 1, 2003... The #1167 anti-skid tape does not have paper liners and it does not contain sand. The construction is an over-laminated embossed vinyl tape. The adhesive is residue-free and works on all surfaces. It can be applied around wet workstations and...

AGS 2003: standards move forward, yet big questions remain unanswered.(American Glovebox Society)
October 1, 2003... Decontamination and decommissioning were the hot topics of discussion at the recently concluded annual conferences and exposition of the American Glovebox Society (AGS) held in San Antonio, Texas. Scientists and end users from the United...