January 2014 - Bnc-facility-notice

ALL-USER MEETINGS POSTPONED
by Weaver, John R 21 Jan '14

21 Jan '14

NO ALL-USER MEETINGS TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2014, OR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014. Due to the tragic event today and the cancellation of classes today and tomorrow out of respect for the victim, the All-User Meetings will be postponed. Information will be provided when a new date is set. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and all those affected by this event. John John R. Weaver Facility Manager Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette IN 47907 (765) 494-5494 jrweaver(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jrweaver@purdue.edu> nano.purdue.edu

1 0

MORE GOOD NEWS: All Gases are On
by Weaver, John R 15 Jan '14

15 Jan '14

Effective 8:15 am Wednesday, January 15, 2014, all gases are ON in the Birck Nanotechnology Center. The appropriate purging has been completed and the facility is fully operational. Please note that some equipment may require further work to bring it to full function, so - as always - PLEASE CHECK CORAL FOR EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding during this weather-related shutdown and its aftermath. John John R. Weaver Facility Manager Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette IN 47907 (765) 494-5494 jrweaver(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jrweaver@purdue.edu> nano.purdue.edu

1 0

GOOD NEWS! Nitrogen has been restored to the BNC
by Weaver, John R 14 Jan '14

14 Jan '14

The nitrogen lines have been purged, and both liquid and gaseous nitrogen is now available in both the cleanroom and laboratories. The BNC Cleanroom is now open. The toxic gas system is still being flushed, so hazardous gases will not be available until tomorrow (Wednesday). Some equipment needs to be purged for an extended period, so please check Coral for equipment availability. Thank you for your patience during this shutdown. While the chances of something like this happening again are very small, we are developing a set of contingency plans that should minimize downtime should there be a recurrence. We are also working with our nitrogen supplier to ensure that they have the appropriate plans in place to be able to support us. John John R. Weaver Facility Manager Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette IN 47907 (765) 494-5494 jrweaver(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jrweaver@purdue.edu> nano.purdue.edu

1 0

Nitrogen and Cleanroom Update
by Weaver, John R 13 Jan '14

13 Jan '14

The truck that was supposed to deliver the nitrogen over the weekend did not make the delivery. Discussions with Linde (our nitrogen supplier) indicate that they had an internal communication issue and were very apologetic. They are hoping to make a delivery this evening. If that happens, we could be up as soon as tomorrow afternoon, but after the recent experience I won't feel comfortable about the delivery until I see the truck filling our tank! We will let you know as soon as we have solid information on when the cleanroom, hazardous materials, etc. will be operational. Thank you again for your patience. We are doing all within our power to bring the facility back to full operation as quickly as possible. John John R. Weaver Facility Manager Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette IN 47907 (765) 494-5494 jrweaver(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jrweaver@purdue.edu> nano.purdue.edu

1 0

UPDATE: Weather-Related Shutdowns at Birck Nanotechnology Center Continue
by Weaver, John R 10 Jan '14

10 Jan '14

UPDATE We are scheduled to receive a nitrogen delivery this morning, BUT THERE IS NO CHANGE IN STATUS FOR THE FACILITY. The shipment will begin cooling the tank and all the lines, but will not be sufficient to complete the purging of the lines to bring us into operation. It will take at least one more delivery of nitrogen for us to recover our distribution capability. Please note that the restrictions listed in the previous e-mail will remain in place over the weekend. If we receive a second shipment on Monday (not yet confirmed), we may be able to resume normal operations within a few hours of the delivery. Today's delivery is a step in the right direction, but the nitrogen delivery system still must recover from the impact of the shutdown of the system during the storm. John _____________________________________________ From: Weaver, John R Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2014 10:24 AM To: bnc-facility-notice(a)ecn.purdue.edu Subject: IMPORTANT: Weather-Related Shutdowns at Birck Nanotechnology Center The weather-related emergency situations have caused shutdowns at the Birck Nanotechnology Center. It is expected that these shutdowns will last a few more days. UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: The BNC Cleanroom is closed. If characterization or metrology work (AFM, SEM, probes, etc. - NOT PROCESSING) is necessary, special arrangements can be made with the staff member in charge of the equipment to allow cleanroom access during normal business hours for that purpose only. No nitrogen is available to the building - either liquid nitrogen or gaseous nitrogen. We are currently working closely with our nitrogen supplier but do not know when they will be able to deliver nitrogen to the building. The entire nitrogen supply to the Midwest comes from northern Indiana, and the roads in that area are still closed. The utility nitrogen lines have been pressurized with clean and dry compressed air (CDA). It will maintain pressure to valves, etc., but is not used for processing. Ultrapure nitrogen lines have no pressure. All hazardous gases are shut off. No hazardous gases are available, and will not be available until the nitrogen supply is restored. The ultrapure-water (UHP) system is functional, but with high dissolved-oxygen levels. This means that high levels of native oxide will be grown during rinse cycles. This would have a negative effect on many processes. All vacuum pumps have been disabled due to the lack of nitrogen. Limited laboratory capability is available. Please keep in mind that there are no hazardous gases available, no vacuum pumps available, and no nitrogen available. This means that there is no nitrogen to blow off wafers following wet processes. Currently we have adequate supplies of oxygen, argon, and helium. It is possible, however, that we will have shortages of those gases in the future if road conditions do not improve. PLEASE CHECK CORAL for equipment availability. Also, please refrain from calling Kenny regarding when the nitrogen supply will be restored. We will keep you informed when we have better information from our suppliers. Thank you for your understanding during this very rare weather-related emergency. While we know there is significant inconvenience to researchers in the BNC, the prompt action by the BNC Staff minimized the impact of what could have been a major disaster. Our thanks go out to the staff members and trades who braved the snow and sub-zero temperatures to respond to building alarms and put contingency plans in place. John John R. Weaver Facility Manager Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette IN 47907 (765) 494-5494 jrweaver(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jrweaver@purdue.edu> nano.purdue.edu

1 0

IMPORTANT: Weather-Related Shutdowns at Birck Nanotechnology Center
by Weaver, John R 08 Jan '14

08 Jan '14

The weather-related emergency situations have caused shutdowns at the Birck Nanotechnology Center. It is expected that these shutdowns will last a few more days. UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: The BNC Cleanroom is closed. If characterization or metrology work (AFM, SEM, probes, etc. - NOT PROCESSING) is necessary, special arrangements can be made with the staff member in charge of the equipment to allow cleanroom access during normal business hours for that purpose only. No nitrogen is available to the building - either liquid nitrogen or gaseous nitrogen. We are currently working closely with our nitrogen supplier but do not know when they will be able to deliver nitrogen to the building. The entire nitrogen supply to the Midwest comes from northern Indiana, and the roads in that area are still closed. The utility nitrogen lines have been pressurized with clean and dry compressed air (CDA). It will maintain pressure to valves, etc., but is not used for processing. Ultrapure nitrogen lines have no pressure. All hazardous gases are shut off. No hazardous gases are available, and will not be available until the nitrogen supply is restored. The ultrapure-water (UHP) system is functional, but with high dissolved-oxygen levels. This means that high levels of native oxide will be grown during rinse cycles. This would have a negative effect on many processes. All vacuum pumps have been disabled due to the lack of nitrogen. Limited laboratory capability is available. Please keep in mind that there are no hazardous gases available, no vacuum pumps available, and no nitrogen available. This means that there is no nitrogen to blow off wafers following wet processes. Currently we have adequate supplies of oxygen, argon, and helium. It is possible, however, that we will have shortages of those gases in the future if road conditions do not improve. PLEASE CHECK CORAL for equipment availability. Also, please refrain from calling Kenny regarding when the nitrogen supply will be restored. We will keep you informed when we have better information from our suppliers. Thank you for your understanding during this very rare weather-related emergency. While we know there is significant inconvenience to researchers in the BNC, the prompt action by the BNC Staff minimized the impact of what could have been a major disaster. Our thanks go out to the staff members and trades who braved the snow and sub-zero temperatures to respond to building alarms and put contingency plans in place. John John R. Weaver Facility Manager Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette IN 47907 (765) 494-5494 jrweaver(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jrweaver@purdue.edu> nano.purdue.edu

1 0