New Fan-Filter Unit Technology Yields Cleaner Results and Quicker Certification for Freescale’s New Gowning Room

With the architectural drawings still being finalized and a schedule that ran just shy of five months, DPR started a project that, according to DPR Superintendent Randy Gordon, gave new definition to “fast track.” At the heart of the rapidly paced project that began in early August of last year was Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., a leading global semiconductor company launched by Motorola in 2004, which, as quickly as it creates new, cutting-edge technology, needed a ground-up, three-story building addition to its existing campus to house a 2,000-sq.-ft. gowning room.

“The original plan was to finish the project on January 17, but Freescale needed to be in before Christmas Day,” explained Gordon. “Coordinating with the owner and architect, we quickly broke the job down into three packages, broke those packages into tasks and grouped those tasks into lists to best meet the accelerated schedule.”

Material Issue

As the team raced to get permits and start on the first package, they also focused their efforts on material acquisition. In addition to procuring long-lead items, they calculated another measurement, distance. Responding to a customer request, DPR performed feasibility comparisons to determine whether cleanroom components stored in a warehouse some 5,000 miles away in Scotland proved more economical than purchasing new materials.

“We anticipated the obvious concerns associated with this kind of overseas transfer,” said Gordon. “We made calls first thing in the morning to catch them before their day ended, built in time for the containers to pass through customs and were very specific when ordering supplies, like metric all-thread rods, which U.S. suppliers don’t carry. If we ran out, we couldn’t run out to the local hardware store to pick up more.”

Working with the architect and Freescale representatives in Scotland, DPR coordinated the delivery of 10 tons of cleanroom gear. According to Gordon, the decision to go forward with the stored materials saved the customer approximately $100,000.

Heightened Safety

DPR runs each of its projects according to a strict safety plan, one that has earned the company an incident rate significantly below the nation’s average. In this case, the customer’s eye on safety was no less critical. Freescale had its own safety team, which worked with DPR to assure the crew and Freescale employees’ wellbeing throughout the job.

To perform a safe and unobtrusive demolition of a corner of the existing fab structure, the team built temporary weather-resistant walls within the fab itself and set up an operation monitor to register vibrations and protect the sensitive equipment inside. Rather than tearing away at the building with jackhammers, the team sawed the building in place and used a crane to lift out pieces, one by one, into a dumpster.

“Before the first pick was made, we went through the entire procedure with Freescale. During the actual demolition, we had spotters in place making sure no one could walk anywhere near the site. Upon project completion, we had zero recordable, lost-time or first-aid incidents.”

New Standard of Clean

At just 2,000 sq. ft., the new gowning room was the ideal size pilot project for Freescale to implement new cleanroom technology. Rather than relying on giant jet fans or air-handling units to force air through High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, this room operates on a 100 percent fan-filter unit (FFU) system.

For the team, installing this new system meant constructing a cleanroom two-by-four ceiling grid supporting 211 HEPA filters. Above each filter sits an 80-pound stainless-steel box fan unit, which pushes air through the filter. For the customer, this meant achieving Class 1 cleanroom certification in less than three days, as opposed to the standard two-to-three week timeframe. Because this system is so efficient, no particle found was larger than 0.03 microns.

Taking Care of Business

Throughout the entire gowning room project, Freescale maintained 100 percent of its operations. Aside from the necessary system tie-ins for chilled water and the very early smoke detection alarm (VESDA), there were no construction-related shut downs. To ensure minimal disruption to Freescale’s business, DPR coordinated the shut downs two or three weeks ahead of time through a series of meetings in which they identified the most convenient time for the customer and presented a plan accordingly.

“When necessary, we worked at night or on weekends to meet the schedule and minimize disruption to Freescale’s business. Frequently, we could wait for the end of a production cycle, when there is often a 10- or 12-hour window to work in. Or we split tie-ins into two or three shorter shut downs,” said Gordon.

In the end, the tight schedule and project challenges may have actually strengthened this project team. DPR wrapped up the project, which received a Zero Defects letter, before Christmas Day, and Freescale was able to occupy right on schedule.