CleanRooms articles from September 2002

CleanRooms archives from September 2002

cGMPs back under FDA microscope: agency initiative will give manufacturing and product quality regulations much needed revamp due partly to globalization.(current good manufacturing practices)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... ROCKVILLE, MD--In a move that will revamp regulations for pharmaceutical manufacturing and product quality, the FDA has launched an initiative, Pharmaceutical cGMPs for the 21st Century: A Risk-Based Approach, an intended "step back," the...

Aicraft component maker did not use cleanrooms, indictment alleges: coupling manufacturer faces 50 counts fraud.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... FRESNO, CA--The president of a Mojave, CA-based maker of hoses and couplings used in military planes and other aircraft is awaiting trial on charges of illegally producing the components without employing contamination control and falsifying...

E. coil-triggered recall sparks tighter contamination control measures at ConAgra.(ConAgra Co.'s meat recalled)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... GREELEY, CO--The second largest meat recall--19 million pounds of ground beef from ConAgra Co. -continues after officials from the food processor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) discovered it might not only be contaminated with...

PDA upgrades sterilization standard to meld US/EU specs.(Parenteral Drug Association)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... BETHESDA, MD--In 1978, Parenteral Drug Association (PDA), published the Technical Monograph No. 1 (TM 1) standard for validating autoclaves. Industry experts feel this standard is now officially outdated. TM 1 has been updated and revised...

Sematech, UAlbany launch Sematech North.(University at Albany and International Sematech to develop next generation lithography)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... ALBANY, NY--In mid-July, Austin, TX-based International Sematech and the University at Albany agreed to agree. That's when, with a little matchmaking help from New York's Governor George Pataki, the semiconductor research consortium and...

Genmark, FANUC launch cleanroorn robotics innovations.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... SUNNYVALE, CA--In late July, Genmark Automation, a maker of automation tools for the semiconductor industry, launched EZTeach, an intelligent teach pendant based on the Pocket PC that should result in faster changes in robotic devices used in...

Mykrolis building Shanghai facility. (Particles).
September 1, 2002... BILLERICA, MA--Mykrolis Carp., a manufacturer of liquid and gas delivery systems, components and consumables for the semiconductor market, has begun construction on a product service facility in Zhang Jiang Technical Park in Pudong, Shanghai....

Millipore acquires chromatography media company. (Particles).(CPG Inc. is purchased)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... BEDFORD, MA--Life sciences technology giant Millipore Corp. announced today that it has acquired the assets of CPG Inc. (Lincoln Park, NJ), a supplier to Millipore for several years, providing base materials for its Prosep(R), a high-capacity...

Industry groups deserve a round of applause for EHS initiatives. (Viewpoint).(environmental health and safety)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Once considered a "fringe" issue fostered by a minute faction, the environmental health and safety (EHS) issue has made its way into the mainstream-and U.S. industry is being held accountable. I had the opportunity to sit in on SEMI's...

Comparing cadavers to ground beef: which is more deadly, 19 million pounds of E. coli-contaminated ground beef or harvested human tissue for transplantation that is tainted with fungus and bacteria? (Viewpoint).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... It may be hard to ponder, out it is one question the federal government has not considered because it represents two separate incidents with two very different courses of action. Some may think the 19 million pounds of contaminated...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2002... In the August Product Spotlight (page 33), the company name "The Texwipe Co." should have read ITW Texwipe.

Particle transport complexities considered: air entering the cleanroom goes through HEPA/ULPA filters, whether this entering air originates as makeup air from outside the building or recirculated air from the exhaust ducts of the cleanroom. (Electronics).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Achieving high-quality air in a cleanroom depends on meeting this design feature. No air can be permitted to seep into the cleanroom through the walls, doors or viewing windows that typically surround the cleanroom workspace. However, the...

FDA impact on cleanroom equipment design: the FDA is changing the way pharmaceutical companies are conducting their clean operations. Stop here if you've heard this one before. (Life Sciences).
September 1, 2002... Recently, several large-scale aseptic operations have been cited with a "483" for transporting vials from an ISO Class 5 filling area, through a non-controlled area, to the freeze drier, but failing to maintain an ISO Glass 5 environment for...

Industry groups address health, safety of fab workers. (Worker Safety).(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2002... For the past 20 years, Don Lassiter, Ph.D., has collected annual data on work-related injuries and illnesses from semiconductor manufacturers--the same data the companies must report to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration...

Same cleanroom, different place: Mykrolis expansion into China expedited with standardized cleanroom plan. (Built to Spec).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... If it works, why change it? That is a long-standing methodology that Mykrolis Corp. (Billerica, MA), a manufacturer of liquid and gas delivery systems and other components used in chip making, uses every time it builds a cleanroom. The...

Tying the great machine together: as manufacturing execution systems (MES) evolve, the futuristic vision of the world's semiconductor fabs becomes clear. (Special Report).(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2002... Anyone who's spent time with a semiconductor process engineer must wonder which came first, the beeper or the fab? Clearly, the latter couldn't have functioned very well without the former. It must indeed be difficult to envision a world...

Wafer surface cleaning. (Inventor's Corner).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The invention includes a film-forming chamber (A) for wafers (B). A process gas feed line (C) connected to the chamber (A) supplies process gas used to form a film on the wafer. A hydrogen gas feed line (D) is provided to clean the wafers and...

Laser ventilation system. (Inventor's Corner).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The industrial laser ventilation system can minimize the cooling air intake required during normal operation, according to the inventors. Adequate ventilation is maintained even if the housing is opened. Various sensors monitor the condition of...

Polishing system. (Inventor's Corner).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The substrate processing system has a factory interface module (A), a chemical mechanical polishing carousel (B) outfitted with polishing pads (C) and a transfer station (D), a cleaner (E), a particle monitor (F) and a substrate transfer system...

Wafer cleaning device. (Inventor's Corner).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... A. device for cleaning semiconductor wafers with a cleaning liquid includes a cleaning station with a plurality of rotating pairs of rollers that are arranged one behind another and to which the cleaning liquid is applied. A set of rollers is...

Evaluation of Teflon filters for high-flow and low-differential pressure applications. (Gas Filtration).(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2002... The type of filter media can have a profound effect on outgassing rates. Additionally, the manner in which a filter is manufactured, assembled and packaged can influence the final performance. The establishment of new chemical vapor...

Shoot ions out of harm's way: bring in the air ionization equipment when your first line of defense needs a little backup. (Product Spotlight).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... You may have instituted first-line defense techniques such as wrist straps, ground bond wires and have replaced insulating materials with conductive materials in your ongoing battle with electrostatic discharge (ESD), electromagnetic...

Flooring. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... FasTop flooring systems feature fast curing, low-odor, moisture insensitivity and chemical resistance. The flooring chemistry is water-based, and as a finished flooring system, is breathable and easy to clean. The rapid urethane-cement chemical...

Particle counter. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Met One R5500 series remote airborne particle counters are designed for monitoring large facility areas as well as minienvironments such as loading stations. Using solid-state diode laser technology, the products achieve a high level of...

Direct delivery system. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... The 300 mm Cleanway CLW-05 overhead transport system works with both current 300 mm processes and the Direct Delivery model in intrabay and interbay applications. A non-stop merge and diverge capability enables a reduction in work-in-progress...

Dustproof motors. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Abrasive Dustproof Motors are sealed with built-in O-rings and include optional air fittings for pressurization (up to 15 psi) to lock out contamination. These feature a shaft slinger that prevents abrasive dust from attacking the shaft seal...

Student who kept anthrax in refrigerator charged. (Particles).(Tomas Foral)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... NEW HAVEN, CT--The U.S. attorney's office has filed a federal charge against a University of Connecticut student accused of keeping anthrax in a refrigerator at a school research lab, but Tomas Foral, 26, will not be prosecuted if he completes...

Modest proposals for the ITRS factory integration chapter. (Unfiltered).(International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors)
September 1, 2002... If you work in the microelectronics industry, your life generally revolves around trying to guess what the future has in store; and, of course, how you can prepare for it. Occasionally, we guess correctly. A group that has a remarkable...

Question: Are you interested in earning continuing educational units (CEUs) through a technical article and a follow-up exam to be offered every month in the pages of CleanRooms magazine? .(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Question: Are you interested in earning continuing educational units (CEUs) through a technical article and a follow-up exam to be offered every month in the pages of CleanRooms magazine? Due to evolving reader needs, CleanRooms will...