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Policies and Practices

Serious and/or repeated breaches of the safety and policy rules or provisions in the Conditions of Use will result in loss of privileges and termination of any Services Agreements.

General Policies and Practices

All Metrology Lab, Clean Room, and Chemistry and Dicing Lab Users:

1. As mandated JILA, non-JILA users are not granted access to the building after 5pm, on weekends, or on holidays. However, if a user has entered the building before it is locked, that user can continue to work after hours. Upon leaving for the night, non-JILA users may not reenter the building. Doors are not to be propped open for later entry.
2. Reserving a tool and reporting usage on the tablets is required for all users.
3. Instrument and equipment use is restricted to trained individuals only.
4. Do not tamper with or modify any equipment or instruments unless approval has been obtained from the lab manager. This includes custom fixtures or attachments. Requests for special tooling or applications can be made to the lab manager.
5. The computers in the labs are for instrument use and data transfer only. Do not download or install any software or drivers to these machines. Usernames and passwords are not to be shared.
6. Use the online equipment reservation system. This will alleviate scheduling conflicts for the more heavily used instruments and systems. If a user does not show within 30 minutes of their booked time, they forfeit their remaining reserved time.
7. Report malfunctioning equipment immediately; users should not attempt repairs.
8. Be diligent in making entries in the usage logbooks for the instruments and equipment that have them. Keeping track of the history of certain equipment is important for some processes.
9. Remember to log out of computers when done. This will help prevent unauthorized use.
10. If a user enters the metrology lab without signing in on the tablet, a default charge of 2 hours will be applied.
11. If a user enters the clean room without signing in on the tablet, a similar default charge of 2 hours will be applied.
12. Piranha solution is no longer allowed in either the cleanroom or the chemistry area without special arrangements. Users should instead consider Nano-Strip, which is a stabilized solution that can replace Piranha solution for many applications.

JILA Clean Room Policies and Practices

In addition to the practices and policies in the JILA Clean Room Safety Module, users of the cleanroom need to abide by the following rules to maintain the integrity of the facility. Be mindful of the fact that a seemingly simple mistake can result in a seriously compromised area.

All Clean Room Users:

1. The clean room is intended only for processes requiring a Class 1000 (ISO 6) and/or a Class 100 (ISO 5) environment.
2. The clean room is a restricted access area. Access credentials are not to be shared, and the gowning or wipe-down room doors are not to be propped open.
3. No food is allowed anywhere in the clean room. Beverages are not allowed beyond the gowning area.
4. Apparel restrictions and gowning protocol as demonstrated in the walk-through is strictly enforced to ensure the low-particle integrity within the area. Special attention should be given to shoe covering.
5. Anything brought into the clean room must first be wiped down with the water/IPA mixture in the spray bottle in the gowning area. Large items can be cleaned in the wipe-down room and then retrieved from that room after gowning up and entering the clean room in the normal way.
6. Individualized storage bins are available on shelves along the cleanroom corridor and should not be removed from the facility. No cardboard boxes or other inappropriate containers are to be brought in. The same applies to wipes; only cleanroom wipes are approved. No Kimwipes, Kleenex, etc.
7. Do not bring in any textbooks, conventional notebooks, or other paper items. A clean room notebook will be provided upon request, and if that notebook is taken from the area, it must be wiped down in the gowning area before reentering.
8. Tools, glassware, and equipment belonging to the clean room must never leave the area.
9. Privilege to use one bay in the clean room does not imply privilege to use the other bays.

SEM Bay Users:

1. SEM bay only users are not to enter other sections of the clean room.
2. The room must remain as quiet and still as possible during e-beam writing.

Lithography Bay Users:

1. This is most critical bay regarding particle, temperature, and humidity specifications, and contains the materials that pose the greatest hazard to users of the clean room. Protocols as outlined in the JILA Clean Room Safety Module and reiterated in the walk-through must be strictly adhered to.
2. EH&S Lab Safety and Hazardous Waste Generation certification is required to use this bay.
3. The benches and stations in this bay are not to be used for storage and long-term processes exceeding a full day without prior approval.
4. Do not bring any chemicals from the lithography bay outside the area.
5. Equipment must be thoroughly cleaned after each use.

Chase Area:

1. Except for accessing the hydrogen or carbon dioxide cylinders, the chase is off limits to users. There are no user items in there, and nothing is to be stored in there.

Fabrication Bay Users:

1. Users are not to bring in their own process gas bottles. Appropriate process gases will be provided by the lab.

Wipe-Down Area:

1. The wipe-down room is also the gas farm for the argon and oxygen cylinders, and entry to that room is confined to opening and closing those canisters. Except in an emergency, do not exit or enter the facility via this room. Do not use this area for storage.
2. The Satellite Accumulation Area in this room is not for general use. If any chemical waste other than that generated from the clean room or an untagged container is found in this SAA, the clean room will be shut down until the perpetrator corrects the situation.

Chemistry and Dicing Lab Policies and Practices

1. Equipment must be thoroughly cleaned after each use.

Last Updated: 11/19/2023