MEMORANDUM

To:               Professor Ming Wu, Microlab Faculty Director

From:            William Flounders, Technology Manager

Subject:        2008 Year-End Report

Date:            30 January 2009

Cc:               Katalin Voros, Microlab Operations Manager

I.             Introduction

This memorandum documents my major activities for the calendar year 2008. For the past year, I have continued two primary functions, planning for the Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory (the successor facility to the Berkeley Microlab) and, technology support for the existing Microlab. Design, planning and construction review of the new lab have been on going for several years. Now construction of the new lab is 99% complete and my activities have begun to focus upon equipment and transition schedules and budget and operations plans. As stated last year, the Microlab transition and migration has shifted from immanent to imminent!

Calendar year 2008 was another milestone year for the Microlab in many ways. We installed the last new tool in the present Microlab, we have received defined support from several corporate partners, we have opened a fund raising campaign among our alumni, and we are on the verge of entering our new cleanroom.

Professor King-Liu has been named to the position of Associate Dean of the College of Engineering requiring her to relinquish her role as Microlab Faculty Director after seven years of service. Thank you, Tsu-Jae for your leadership and support of the Microlab operation! I welcome Professor Ming Wu as the new Microlab Faculty Director and look forward to working with him during the challenging laboratory transition period.

II.                  Technology Support of Existing Laboratory

EQUIPMENT

Ebeam Lithography

Calendar 2008 started with the delivery of the Crestec ebeam lithography system. I negotiated sighting the tool in 197 Cory Hall with the EECS department chairman until the Marvell Nanolab is ready to accept tools. The Crestec ebeam system will be one of the first tools to move into the new lab. Microlab upgraded 197 Cory in many ways to accommodate the new tool. We repainted, added hepa filters, installed back up nitrogen, added the necessary AC power, and added additional room air conditioning. The Crestec installation team was well prepared and the Microlab engineering team was immediately responsive to all vendor needs. The entire start up went smoothly. Install and start up took less than two weeks and the machine passed all specified acceptance tests which included the writing of 10 nm isolated features, and the demonstration of

<20 nm stitching accuracy over a 50 micron square field.

http://www.crestec8.co.jp/englishF/

EE143

The new Crestec ebeam tool led to significant decrease in utilization of the former Jeol machine with a Nabity stage. Rather than selling or more likely excessing this machine, I encouraged the tool be kept and sighted in the EE143 instructional lab. It is still accessible to Microlab researchers when the class is not is session and can eventually be integrated into the EE143 class curriculum. This integration will require a faculty lead.

http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ee143/sp09/

ALD

I negotiated the purchase of an atomic layer deposition (ALD) system purchased thanks to the research funds of Professor Clark Nguyen. After review of several tools, I recommended selection of the ALD system from Picosun. Picosun is a company from Finland and the technical director of the company was one of the original developers of the ALD deposition technique. The Picosun tool represented the best combination of cost and capability. The tool was delivered and sighted in early November. The tool was qualified for Al2O3 deposition with film deposition rate of 1.02 angstrom per cycle and 1 sigma non-uniformity less than 1% across the wafer. Picosun and I negotiated a collaborative agreement that enables vendor access to the tool and sample preparation when needed. Picosun technical support has been excellent and I expect an ongoing constructive relationship that will benefit our lab members and enhance Picosun’s position among US university research centers.

http://www.picosun.com/

External Activities

KAUST

In February 2008, Professor Albert Pisano, Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department finalized a significant collaborative agreement between the ME Department of UC Berkeley and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. KAUST is a major investment by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the future of technology development for their country. This ambitious program will build a major graduate research university and the city to support it on the west coast of the country in Thuwal, a new city approximately 100 km North West of Jeddah. KAUST will include a nanofabrication cleanroom and research laboratory. The KAUST team was at the Design Development Stage of planning for this laboratory and requested a UC Berkeley point of contact from the Microlab to support this effort. I participated in 5 planning meetings for this undertaking providing layout recommendations and tool selections. The possibility of a ‘mirror’ laboratory at KAUST was discussed but the concept of specific tool copies was not pursued. Rather than a duplication of the Berkeley laboratory, I encouraged the KAUST team to recruit their own laboratory manager as soon as possible. This individual then must interact closely with the research faculty to understand their technical needs and define the tool set that is best for their specific research. In summary, I shared detailed information about and encouraged KAUST to follow the Berkeley Microlab model – not to simply duplicate the Berkeley Microlab tool set. Successful laboratory operation is based more upon the responsiveness of the facility to research faculty needs than on any specific capabilities. I look forward to developing productive research collaborations with KAUST in the future.

http://www.kaust.edu.sa/

NSF Review

During December 2008 and January 2009, I participated in a National Science Foundation proposal review committee evaluating and ranking forty eight proposals on biosensors. The committee consisted of research faculty and industry researchers from across the country with several scientists from former Soviet research institutions. The NSF Program Manager, Dr. Alex Simonian is a colleague from my former research program at Sandia National Laboratories. Though this review was in addition to my primary responsibilities, this was a most appropriate and useful activity. My continued interaction with National funding agencies improves my ability to develop and support quality research proposals for Microlab faculty and the professional contacts made during these committee meetings are valuable as long term advisors and collaborators for future research projects.

http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=CBET

LOSC

During 2008, I continued my service to the campus wide Laboratory Operations and Safety Committee. This committee is comprised of approximately 15 research faculty and staff primarily from Chemistry, Physics and Biosciences. The committee meets at least quarterly and interacts with EH&S to review and define campus policies on laboratory safety. This year’s work addressed new procedures to insure all campus researchers are aware of and abide by stringent hazardous materials shipping policies; new guidelines to address handling, storing and eating food in campus laboratory support spaces; review of the annual laboratory self inspection surveys; and, distribution of a ‘lessons learned’ fact sheet related to a serious corrosive chemical injury in the Chemistry Department.

http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/committees/labsafety.html

I.        New Laboratory Planning & Design

Construction & Laboratory Systems

Construction of Sutardja Dai Hall, home of the CITRIS Headquarters and the Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory – successor to the Berkeley Microlab is within one month of scheduled completion! The CITRIS Headquarters Opening Celebration is scheduled for February 27, 2009 and over 500 guests have registered for this event. This is too large a number to welcome for clean room tours but posters with photos and lab descriptions will be posted at several locations throughout the building. A VIP lab tour for approximately 30 of the College of Engineering’s most generous donors will be provided.

https://forms.coe.berkeley.edu/citris-opening

My work in support of the new lab has only increased and accelerated this year. Last year’s focus was on value engineering and finding creative solutions that resolved contractor discovered issues related to cost and constructability. This year my support of the new laboratory has shifted to selecting laboratory infrastructure systems, defining laboratory policies and procedures with campus regulatory offices, and planning specific parts for equipment install and start-up. Samples of this work are described below.

Campus Fire Marshal

The construction project has weekly meetings with the Campus Fire Marshal (CFM) to insure rapid resolution of all fire code and life safety related construction issues. I regularly attend these meetings and have developed multiple procedures and policies with the CFM related to new lab operations. I have defined those hazardous material monitoring system events that result in automatic notification of the UC police department and or Berkeley Fire Department; defined building responses to toxic gas detection; and, selected and contracted a CFM approved third party critical systems monitoring company (ADT) that receives automated building alarms and immediately notifies laboratory staff. I selected and received CFM approval of a halon replacement fire extinguisher fill material (FE-36) that is clean room safe, non ozone depleting and insures serviceability beyond the Montreal protocol chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) phase out dates. The standard material for clean room fire extinguishers, Halon 1211 (CF2ClBr) is no longer manufactured (as of 1994), and therefore it has become steadily more expensive. The most common halon alternative, Halotron1 (CF3CHCl2) is scheduled for production halt in 2015. FE-36 is not scheduled for phase out and as it becomes the standard halon replacement, its cost is likely to be stable or come down. The Marvell Lab will be the first facility on the UC campus with FE-36 fire extinguishers.

http://www2.dupont.com/FE/en_US/products/fe36.html

http://www.adt.com/medium_large_business/products_services

Bulk Liquid Nitrogen Vaporizer Upgrade

With the assistance of Microlab engineering staff, I developed a planned upgrade to the Cory Hall liquid nitrogen (LN2) system that enables the existing LN2 tanks to support the new Marvell Nanolab. This upgrade includes purchase and installation of two new vaporizers, relocation of the existing vaporizers to support Cory and Hearst Halls, installation of a liquid nitrogen dewar fill station, and crossover plumbing and bypasses that enable either of the existing two LN2 tanks to support the CITRIS, Cory and Hearst buildings.

http://www.cexi.com/companyinfo.php

Phone, Paging & Intercom System

In May 2008, I learned that the campus office responsible for phone systems rejected interface of a laboratory owned central phone system with the new campus PBX phone system. The reason for this policy was our existing phone system does not meet enhanced 911 (E-911) reporting requirements which require that the location of every individual handset must be electronically available for emergency personnel responding to 911 calls. A lab phone system that uses 8-10 campus phone lines then distributes dial tone to >50 phones does not have this ability. The alternate proposed by campus was monthly service to the more than 70 phones required in the lab, staff office space, and throughout the laboratory building – at an annual recharge cost of >$25,000. I negotiated a cost effective compromise to this unacceptable scenario – the lab would pay the cost of installation of separate phone lines into the building from Hearst avenue and purchase it’s own PBX system which is E-911 capable. This will require a one time investment of approximately $50,000 but will pay for itself in about two years.

Wet Process Stations

Though the purchase of the laboratory wet process stations was painfully ‘value engineered’ out of the construction project over two years ago, this equipment is still critically needed for laboratory start up. I have worked with Microlab’s process engineering manager to define what sinks must be purchased new to enable a smooth transition and what sinks might be reused from the present operation. I developed a proposed deck layout for all sinks and drew up a request for quotation since the purchase price requires that these items be competitively bid. These items are expected to be ordered by the end of February and delivered 6-8 weeks after receipt of order.

New Lab Website

In the 21st century, even something as ‘brick and mortar tangible’ as a building and new laboratory is not a true presence unless it also has a virtual presence on the World Wide Web. I have worked with a new information technology engineer to develop the Marvell Lab’s new web site. The new lab website will contain much of the same information as the present Berkeley Microlab, but now it will also provide something more. To date, the Microlab website has been exclusively an information resource for lab members and staff. The new lab website must also provide enhanced recognition of our supporters and fundraising information for new donors. Also important, the new lab website will be the primary communication conduit for lab transition status information for our lab members. Figure 1 below shows the new lab website interface that will provide current status of all tools defining whether a tool is up in the Cory Hall Microlab Lab or in the Marvell Nanolab, when a tool has been scheduled for move or if a tool is down and in the middle of transition.


 

Figure 1 - New Lab Website Equipment Status Board

Full details available at: http://marvelllab.berkeley.edu/

Equipment Vendor Support

I have worked with the Faculty Director to develop support relationships with many semiconductor processing equipment manufacturers. Key meetings with support from the College of Engineering and CITRIS leadership have been held with ASML, Novellus, KLA-Tencor, Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL), Applied Materials (AMAT), and Lam Research. Equipment donations and or support commitments have been negotiated with TEL, AMAT, and Lam. TEL donated a 300 mm capable photoresist track system with installation support. AMAT donated two deposition systems including install and on-going maintenance support, and Lam has committed to delivery of two etch tools with a cash provision for install and maintenance. Each of these negotiations has been unique and was designed to insure the laboratory will fully utilize and is able to maintain the donated equipment.

Staffing

I developed a readily defended staffing request for the Microlab faculty director to present to the CITRIS director to support two FTEs of the new lab operation. The proposal describes the work of two equipment engineers to develop a detailed tool utility matrix that catalogues the types of connections for all utilities to all tools. One engineer is tasked with the ‘tool end’ of the connection and the other is tasked with the ‘house end’. In addition, the Cory Hall machine shop supervisor is partially covered to recognize the steadily increasing role the shop must play in fabricating custom tool connections and modifying the cost saving generic utility runs provided by the laboratory construction project. The next staffing specific task is to develop a schedule for staff transition to the new lab and the accompanying transition of supervisory responsibilities.

II.      SUMMARY

Calendar 2008 was an excellent year for the Microlab. We maintained operations, increased membership and installed two critical new capabilities – updated ebeam lithography and atomic layer deposition. We began detailed move in and start up plans for the new lab. We negotiated critically needed support for the new lab tool base and registered significant growth in our fund raising base. The true challenges begin now. We will be disrupting our operation to accomplish the move to the new building and incurring significant additional expenses at the same time. These challenges require long term financial planning and continued support from our academic leadership. With our new faculty director and stronger linkage to the vision of CITRIS, I am confident our operation will not only remain stable and successful but will continue to lead among university research centers.