[labnetwork] Gas cabinet installation by contractors or facility

[Dennis Schweiger]

Joe,

As most others have stated, your question, though simple at first mention,
is really made up of a complex set of answers.  I've installed and modified
hundreds of gas cabinets over the years (at universities and outside
companies), everything from simple metal boxes, to completely automated HPM
delivery cabinets.  If this was my fab, I'd lean towards only installing
the cabinets you require now, with the level of complexity you require
now.  My experience in trying to "future proof" a gas delivery system
install is that there'll be enough difference between what you think you
need now, and what you need then, that a good portion of the work will need
to be done again.  Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a long term
plan for cabinet placement/support, and gas line routing.  You definitely
want to consider where you're putting things (or will put), and how you're
going to get from point A to B. I second the mention that you want to make
sure you hire a contractor that not only understands orbital welding, but
that they have some experience with semiconductor gases/tools.  Some of
these gases only give you one chance to get it correct.  I'd also look at
trying to standardize with a single vendor for your cabinets.  It gives you
a great customer relationship, and there is a commonality of parts, and
operation, that makes it easier to train on the operation/function of the
cabinets.

As a brand new fab, there is some benefit to having that gas delivery
capability (welding, bending, install) in house.  Here at UofM we have had
that capability for the lifetime of the fab (almost 40 years).  Not always
the same body, but that capability.

I'd be happy to answer any additional questions you might have.  Feel free
to give me a call, or even stop by if you'd like.  What we have installed
here at UofM won't work for everyone, but we've gone to great lengths to
make our facility very safe.

Good luck with your new fab,

Dennis Schweiger
Facilities Manager
Lurid Nanofabrication Facility
University of Michigan

734.647.2055 Ofc

On Tue, Mar 4, 2025 at 4:22 PM Joseph Losby <joseph.losby at ucalgary.ca>
wrote:

> Dear Labnetwork,
>
> We are currently in the design development phase of constructing a
> cleanroom facility.  The intention is to have about 40-50% of the cleanroom
> unused on opening day that is reserved for future tools.  Although we have
> scoped out what future equipment we wish to acquire, they are not finalized.
>
> Our contractors wish to install the gas cabinets (they are included in the
> project budget) for both the currently scoped and future tools.  Because
> the cabinet configurations are equipment dependent (most will be for RIE
> and CVD/dep tools), we are trying to decide if it's worth the contractors
> installing 'generic' cabinets for future tools that we can configure
> ourselves (install gas monitoring, safety showers, etc).
>
> Do you feel this is a feasible approach and if so, what would you install?
> Or, would you rather install the cabinets yourselves entirely?
>
> Cheers,
> Joe
>
>
>
> *Joseph Losby, PhD*
>
> *Manager, qLab Operations*
>
> *joseph.losby at ucalgary.ca <joseph.losby at ucalgary.ca>*
>
>
> <https://io.ucalgary.ca/quantum-city>
>
>
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> labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
> https://mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork
>
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