[Bnc-facility-notice] UPDATE: Weather-Related Shutdowns at Birck Nanotechnology Center Continue

[Weaver, John R]

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 at 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 at purdue.edu<mailto:jrweaver at purdue.edu>
nano.purdue.edu



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