ECE 344 LAB STARTUP PROCEDURES

These procedures are meant to be a reminder to instructors, researchers, and special project students new to the facilities. They are NOT a substitute for being shown how to carry them out, but occasionally it helps for students to have the information contained here. Locations are indicated on the lab map at the end of this appendix.

STARTUP

Before entering clean area:

Lights

• The light switch for the outer most room is just around the corner from the hallway phone.
• The other light switches are just inside the next three doors including the "plenary lights" (CL).
• For fume hood lights, turn on the switch called "main" in the fuse box (FB1).

Open valves as necessary in the chases.

• Degreaser cooling water (W1)
• Open nitrogen valve at N2 for nitrogen blow off guns.
• Open DI valves at DI-1
• If etching needed,
  • Open DI valve at DI-4
• If PR processing:
  • Nitrogen valves at N2 & N4 for hoods and developer
  • Air valves at A2 &A3 for aligners
  • Open vacuum valve at V1
  • Turn on house vacuum pump at HV
• If RCA cleaning:
  • Open Rinser/Dryer nitrogen valve at N4
  • Open nitrogen valve at N1.
  • Open DI valves at DI-2 and DI-3.
  • Open cascade rinse DI and nitrogen valves.
• If the Cooke Vacuum System 301 is needed:
  • Check liquid nitrogen level (>2" min.)
  • Turn on nitrogen for Cooke(N3) and liquid nitrogen (N1);
  • Turn on air (A3);
  • Turn on cooling water (W2)
• If the Plasma Asher is needed:
  • Turn on oxygen at O1
• If the Probe Stations will be used:
  • the vacuum for the probe stations can be turned on at V1

Turn on the House Vacuum pump

• Please check that the oil in the sight glass is between the high and low marks. Fill if necessary.
• If the oil level in the exhaust filter is more than half-way up the sight glass, then drain the oil out of the exhaust filter.
• Use the start button next to the pump (HV2) to turn it on.

If the Solvent hood is needed, Turn on Solvent Exhaust (FH).

If the Acid hood is needed, (in this order)

1. OPEN static pressure compensation valve
2. turn ON acid exhaust.

Unlock the student cubbyholes for the section.

After entering the clean room, tend to the following immediately:

• Check the logbooks, both paper and electronic (notes).
• Verify that N2 is flowing through the furnace flow controllers.
• Turn up the appropriate furnaces to required temperatures. Note that the set points from the latest calibration will be found in the LogFile.
• Turn on Laminar Flow Fan & Light for furnaces (F&L).
• Check supplies of chemicals for students (e.g. squirt bottles, acids, PR, ... ).
• Run fresh DI water through the faucets for at least a minute to clear the filter of bacteria.
• Afterward, run each sprayer for at least 20 seconds to clear the hose.
• Then change all DI water rinses.
• Turn off DI water faucets when finished.
• Clean all surfaces with IPA which might be touched by wafers or wafer cassettes:
  These include the plates at furnaces, hot point probes, four point probes, asher/Cooke 301, test station chucks, aligner chucks, etc.....
• If FIRST LAB OF THE WEEK,
  • Prepare the acid solutions, fill the PR syringe, and adjust the developer sprayer.

If the RCA clean will be done,

• Load appropriate wafers into the carrier designated for RCA cleaning.
• Start 900ml of DI heating for the SC-1 solution just before class.
• Fill one of the small glass Sulfuric acid bottles to 2/3 full if necessary.

About 20 minutes before students are expected, DO the following:

• Start degreaser. Press COOL and HEAT. Add TCA if level is below wire.
• Turn on lights for spinner and degreaser hoods.
• Spinner hood Hot plates - ON
• Warm up Cooke system if needed. See Appendix A for details.
  (Note that the bakeout hotplate is usually needed with the Cooke.)
• Hot point probe - ON
• When degreaser is READY
  • Press U/S
  • degrease the TA and PR tweezers

Special Duties for designated TAs

• Drain off water from water separation sump of degreaser after it's been on for 20 minutes.
• Run eye washes for 30 seconds.
• Clean monitors, face shields and safety glasses if needed.
• Check mechanical pump oil levels.

Try to let the following chores wait until the last minute:

• PR: drop two drops into spinner bowl.
• Aligners:
  • UV lamps of aligners that might be needed - ON (buzz 3 sec)
  • Check degreaser, starting UV lamps usually turns it off.
  • Aligner Power - ON (only after all UV lamps are ON)
  • Cycle the chuck up
  • Press Eject
  • Go back two steps if the chuck did not fully extend up.
  • Turn the aligner Power back OFF.
• Switch Cooke 301 to AUTO if needed.

The FAB is ready for processing.

ECE 344 home page.

Facilities/Startup.html updated 20-May 1996

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