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From bob at eecs.berkeley.edu Wed Dec 2 15:56:52 2009
From: bob at eecs.berkeley.edu (Bob Hamilton)
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 12:56:52 -0800
Subject: [labnetwork] Cleanroom Garments
In-Reply-To: <859527.58980.qm@web52306.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
References: <859527.58980.qm@web52306.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <F8151EE0C42D4B5EBEBD3A97621644C5@actinium>
Not to quibble - the Microlab does state-of-the-art device research as
well as nanofabrication research. We have ~350 lab members and log a
huge number of lab-hours per year. Particle-control and yield have not
been an issue here at Berkeley even though we use disposable garments.
We have lots of issues to deal with including cost but particles are
not one of them for present research.
Given this statment, we do not have a Surfscan and I cannot provide a
metric on particle density. Device yield and the stringent
requirements for wafer/wafer bonding are good indicators, however.
Bob Hamilton
Robert Hamilton
University of California at Berkeley
Microlab Facilities Manager
Rm406 Cory Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-1770
510-642-2716
510-642-2916 (Fax)
510-325-7557 (Cell)
bob at silicon2.eecs.berkeley.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu
[mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Mario Portillo
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 12:21 PM
To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
Subject: [labnetwork] Cleanroom Garments
I agree 100% with John from Purdue that the needed cleanliness of your
Labs including lab garments absolutly is dictated by the requirements
of your research...but blessed are those with a six million dollar
yearly operating budget...not your average typical budget..
Just an after thought...
Regards
Mario A. Portillo Sr.
High'born Technology USA Inc.
Semiconductor Equipment Services
5970 SW 18th St. Suite 227
Boca Raton, FL 33433
561 504-0244 cell
561 470-1975 office
561 395-0074 fax
hbtusainc at yahoo.com www.hbtusainc.com
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From jrweaver at purdue.edu Wed Dec 2 16:31:10 2009
From: jrweaver at purdue.edu (Weaver, John R)
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 16:31:10 -0500
Subject: [labnetwork] FW: Clean Room Garment Services
Message-ID: <18AD986E445FE847B2A80B53E65704ED85707E97C3@VPEXCH02.purdue.lcl>
Keith -
First, it is very worthwhile to use a cleanroom laundry service rather than trying to clean the garments yourself. The cost of setup and maintenance of the equipment makes it worthwhile only if you are laundering massive quantities of garments. Without the right equipment and filtration on the dryers you will introduce large quantities of particles - mostly organics - into your cleanroom.
That said, it is really easy to get "scalped" by cleanroom laundry suppliers. Some of them are straightforward and honest, others are highly dishonest. The dishonest ones will set a low per-garment price and make up the difference (and more) in lost-garment charges, extra fees, etc. Be very careful how you word your contract and what happens with "missing" garments. If you rent garments, consider garment lifetime and the end-of-cycle value of the garment. I had one company attempt to sell me a contract where the garments maintained their value forever and I had to pay the full garment price to end the lease - what I called "rent to never own." Realistically, a garment depreciates its full value over three years.
I have always found it most cost-effective to purchase the garments from the garment manufacturer and contract with the cleanroom laundry for cleaning only - called "customer-owned goods (COG) in laundry jargon. If you can't afford the capital outlay, you can rent the garments but you need to be very careful about the wording of the contract, as mentioned above.
A good laundry will supply you with particle data on their cleanroom - the folding/packaging area is critical - and more importantly particle count data on garments after drying. The Helmke Drum test is the industry standard and gives good, repeatable results. I also recommend a periodic (annual or every-other-year) audit of their facility. They should be able to show you good SPC data regarding their cleanliness, both of laundered goods and the room. Also look at their sorting methods and the way they eliminate cross-contamination between facilities.
I sound like I'm beating a dead horse, but inventory control is the key to dealing with a laundry. Make sure that you know how many garments you are shipping out and receiving until you have established a trust with the laundry, then audit the shipments periodically (I recommend monthly).
I've worked with a number of major laundries over my years in industry, and chose Alsco Cleanroom Services (formerly American Cleanroom Garments (ACG) on setting up the facility at Purdue. They have served us well, and we recently renewed their contract.
I also use them to launder my cleanroom-cleaning materials, such as cleanroom mops. That is very cost-effective.
Please let me know if you need further information and/or details. I've been through the ringer with cleanroom laundries (pun intended) and ended up saving tens of thousands of dollars in a production facility by taking the loopholes out of the contract and ending up with a program that was fair to both companies, mine and the laundry.
John
John R. Weaver
Facility Manager
Birck Nanotechnology Center
Purdue University
(765) 494-5494
jrweaver at purdue.edu
From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Keith Bradshaw
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 3:00 PM
To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
Subject: [labnetwork] Clean Room Garment Services
We have been using G&K for our clean room garment service for five years.
They were recently take over, and so we are taking a fresh look at how we handle laundry.
How have other labs handled laundry?
What services have you used?
Is it worthwhile doing it yourself? We have 80 smocks and shoe pairs per week .
Cordially,
Keith
Keith Bradshaw
972-883-2099
RL 10
University of Texas at Dallas Clean Room
NSERL building
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From jrweaver at purdue.edu Wed Dec 2 16:31:48 2009
From: jrweaver at purdue.edu (Weaver, John R)
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 16:31:48 -0500
Subject: [labnetwork] FW: Clean Room Garments
Message-ID: <18AD986E445FE847B2A80B53E65704ED85707E97C4@VPEXCH02.purdue.lcl>
One further observation:
The cleanliness need of your facility is a major factor. If your research requires you to be at the cleanest levels, such as ISO Class 4 (formerly Class 10) and cleaner, then you are generally driven to launderable garments and a carefully controlled cleanroom laundry. Disposable garments certainly won't get you there and the control of in-house laundering is difficult. It requires continuous (high-frequency periodic) monitoring of cleaning performance. It also requires maintenance of the equipment and recertification of cleanliness after maintenance.
If you can live with higher levels of particle shedding from the garments, the other options certainly become feasible and Mario's comments are a great guideline.
John