Sent on behalf of the Birck Leadership Team…….

Dear Birck Research Community,

The Purdue winter recess occurs December 23^rd through January 2.  The university is officially closed during this time and reopens on Monday January 3.  As we have done in past years, the Birck Nanotechnology Center will remain available for research but will be unstaffed and hazardous gasses will be unavailable.  As always if you plan to do any work over the recess please follow all applicable Protect Purdue protocols.  Following is a description of the Birck center during this period of university closure: 

1. All labs and cleanroom will be open.
2. All hazardous gases will be unavailable.
3. HF, BOE, and TMAH chemical processing will be allowed as long as a buddy is present.
4. Precursors for ALD systems will be available.
5. No shipping or receiving is being done at any building on campus.
6. The custodians will not be working so restrooms will not be maintained, and sanitation of touch surfaces will not be done. 
• We encourage users to keep the facility clean and be extra vigilant about the hygiene and COVID risks.
7. A few engineering and building staff may walk through occasionally for major issues but availability will be very limited and could be impacted due to COVID restrictions.
• Faculty and senior researchers are encouraged to be more proactive (e.g. occasional walk throughs checking the labs where there is ongoing research).  Email Birck management if you notice anything.

Since there will be limited staff support during this winter recess the research groups are strongly encouraged to accomplish as much processing as possible before gases are turned off on Dec. 22.

See the following for more detailed information (this will be up on the BNC Wiki):

2021-12-23 to 2022-01-03:  Reduced Holiday Operations

Due to Purdue’s Winter Recess hazardous gases will be unavailable from 3:30 PM Wednesday, December 22 until 8:00 AM on Monday, Jan 3^rd.  Lab work may otherwise proceed, though any fume hood work must be done with someone else present in the same laboratory or cleanroom bay (the “buddy” system).  Please note the following changes to our normal operation:

• ALD sources will remain available
• Unavailable gases:
• Ammonia (NH3)
• Boron trichloride  (BCl3)
• Chlorine (Cl2)
• Dichlorosilane  (H2Cl2Si)
• Hydrogen  (H2)
• Hydrogen Sulfide  (H2S)
• Krypton Fluoride  (KrF)
• Methane  (CH4)
• Nitric Oxide  (NO)
• Silane  (SiH4)
• Trichlorosilane  (HCl3Si)

• Tools affected:
• Reduced capability:
• PVD Nitride Sputtering System  (NH3 unavailable)
• Tube 1 Clean Ox  (H2 unavailable, dry oxidation only)
• Tube 4 Field OX  (H2 unavailable, dry oxidation only)

• Tube 7 General Oxidation  (H2 unavailable, dry oxidation only)
• Panasonic  (Cl2 and BCl3 unavailable)
• Plasma-Therm Apex SLR ICP RIE Etcher (H2, Cl2 and BCl3 unavailable)

• Shutdown:
• Axic PECVD  (NH3 & SiH4 unavailable)
• Easy Tube 3000 DVD  (CH4 unavailable)
• Epigress  (SiH4 unavailable)
• H2S CVD  (H2S & H2 unavailable)
• Nitric Oxide Anneal  (NO unavailable)
• Plasma-Therm Apex SLR HDPCVD  (SiH4 unavailable)
• Tube 2 Nitride  (NH3 and HCl3Si unavailable)
• Tube 3 LTO  (SiH4 unavailable)
• Tube 6 Polysilicon  (SiH4 unavailable)
• Work with highly dermally toxic materials (25% TMAH, BOE, HF) ABSOLUTELY requires a buddy within eyesight at all times.
• Custodial staff will not be working.
• There will be limited restocking of shared use supplies.
• There will be limited availability of engineering staff to answer questions or repair down equipment. 
• On metallization tools sources will not be changed and depositions must be < 200 nm.

Contact Steve Jurss (sejurss@purdue.edu) with any questions.