Case Study 1 - Research University New Health Sciences Building
Case Study 2 - Institutional Nanotechnology Research Suite
Case Study 3 - New Wafer Fab
Case Study 4 - New MCVD Lab
Case Study 5 - Academic BSL III Lab

New Wafer Fab

CLIENT NEED
A new building was required for this high-tech client as they expanded their R&D space. In addition to a new class 10 cleanroom, metrology, and chemical gas and liquid storage space, they needed additional office areas, and auxiliary spaces.

DESIGN FEATURES

• Extensive exhaust process piping for new class 10 cleanroom area
  
  
• Process piping for cryogenic source nitrogen (using ultra high purity 316L 10 Ra stainless steel piping and components), compressed dry air and vacuum, corrosive, solvent and heat-only exhaust, and acid and solvent waste
  
  
• Exhaust system fans selected and arranged for N+1 redundancy with controls and dampers for automatic changeover; design, selection and detailing of bulkhead assemblies
  
• New central services for dual temperature chilled water plant including low temperature chiller, high temperature chiller, cooling towers, primary pumps, secondary pumps, control valving, future connections, and associated piping and specialties
  
  
• Design components for hot water heating plant including redundant hot water boilers, breeching and stacks, primary pumps, secondary pumps, control valving, future connections, and associated piping and specialties as appropriate
  
  
• Design and detail air handling equipment including: 14,000 cfm make-up air handling unit with filtration, preheat, two-stage cooling with second stage low temperature chilled water, ultrasonic humidifiers, and direct drive fan; 145,000 CFM of recirculation air handling units with sensible cooling coils, direct-drive fans, prefilters for HEPA longevity, and SCR electric reheat coil control for final temperature trimming
  
  
• Design custom engineered air handling and two-stage sound attenuation system for low noise in critical metrology area with up to 49 dBa sound reduction at critical octave bands
  
  
• Design of DI 17.5 megaohm electronic grade E2 water production plant including polishing skid, stainless steel pumps, U.V. filters, resin traps, submicron filters, service deionization filters, continuous deionization unit, storage tank, domestic water make-up connection, and associated specialties
  
  
• Design and detail new process cooling water system including isolation heat exchanger, circulation pumps, inline submicron filters, expansion tank, air separation, make-up water connection, and looped distribution system
  
  
• Detailed layout of all ductwork including cleanroom HEPAs, VAV boxes, slot diffusers, reheat coils
  
  
• Preparation of detailed process gas utility, process exhaust, process water matrices

• Critical class 10 cleanroom areas have tightly controlled temperature to ±0.5† F and relative humidity to ±1%
  
  
• Critical class 10 cleanroom areas designed to maintain continuous operation under severe adverse conditions including power outage and extreme ambient temperatures and humidity levels that typically exceed standard design values; central system equipment designed with N+1 redundancy to mitigate any single point failure disrupting or shutting down all operations
  
  
• Cascade pressure relationship between critical and noncritical areas to prevent infiltration and molecular contamination
  
  
• Metrology (SEM) area achieved magnification levels at least an order of magnitude better than the previous facility through improved sound reduction
  
  
• Achieved a robust R&D facility that can operate continuously, maintaining strict environmental criteria