EDFAS - ISTFA User Groups

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Building a Better Lab Space for High Tech Imaging/Processing Tools

  • 1.  Building a Better Lab Space for High Tech Imaging/Processing Tools

    Posted 04-21-2022 11:58

    It's now mid April, and abstract submissions for ISTFA 2022 are still open.  I have a proposal for a group-think paper that I'd like your help with.

    At the FIB User Group at ISTFA 2021 I put up a single slide titled "Building a Better Lab Space".  The premise was that back when I was designing laboratory complexes for my past employers, I allotted about 15% of the high end imaging tools budget towards fixing major facilities flaws and designing a laboratory environment that would bring out the best in tool performance.  I learned the hard way that tool makers (SEM, FIB, SEM-FIB, TEM, SIMs, etc.) don't always enforce or may understate the importance of adherence to facilities requirements.   While this might seem like a 'gift' at the time of sale, it may impact the ultimate performance of the instrument.

    • Ballrooms are for dancing, not for precision processing/imaging tools!
    • Acoustic control (white noise, door slams, talking).
    • Floor vibrations / motion.
    • Temperature, humidity & air currents (range & rate of change). Thermal panels vs HVAC air flow.
    • Electromagnetic fields and waves.
    • Electricity: voltage, quiet grounds & loops, spikes/transients, UPS, EPO.
    • Pumps & chillers – influence on tool performance & location (cores).
    • Room size, tools in/out, tool maintenance access, operator station, doors.
    • Room lighting, 'mood' lighting, sample prep & storage cabinets.
    • Tool sample holders & soak boxes, hold-down & grounding, ESD controls.

    I opened the floor for comments, and a great discussion ensued.  There were plenty of first-hand horror stories about the need to re-engineer the facility or even the need to move the tool to get it to meet or exceed performance expectations.

    So here's the proposal.  Several of us would like to play the role of Editor and framer of the basic story.  Your participation in this discussion will provide the content!  All participants will be included as material contributors to the paper.  Please retell the stories discussed in the User Group.  It might be accepted as a paper or poster for ISTFA 2022, depending on the technical content and how quickly we can pull this together.  If we miss ISTFA, maybe we can submit it to the EDFAS Magazine.  It's an unusual way to craft a submission, but it could be fun.  Let the discussion and stories begin!



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    Steven Herschbein
    Hopewell Junction NY
    steven.herschbein@gmail.com
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  • 2.  RE: Building a Better Lab Space for High Tech Imaging/Processing Tools

    Posted 06-23-2022 21:57
    I greatly appreciate the private correspondences received in response to the request for your stores about tool installation issues.  

    An update:
    1) The paper proposal for "Building a Better Lab Space" was approved for presentation at this year's (November 2022) ISTFA conference.  

    2) The editors of the EDFAS Magazine were interested enough in this topic to ask me to write a Guest Column for the August issue.  

    We really need more stores and tales of your struggles to resolve tool space environmental issues to make the paper interesting and fun.  Yes, fun!  Why must cautionary stories be dry?.  This is the time to reply HERE with your experiences and let's get some open discussion going.  We'll include you in this "Crowd Sourced" work.

    Steve

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    Steven Herschbein
    Hopewell Junction NY
    steven.herschbein@gmail.com
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