Belmont, Calif.–Speaking at a seminar on manufacturing competitiveness, IBM senior engineering manager Boris Lipkin revealed that IBM has outfitted an entire 200-millimeter wafer fabrication line with standard mechanical interface (SMIF) “microenvironments” and logistics control systems from Asyst Technologies Inc.

Dr. Lipkin said IBM implemented the cleanliness approach, which involves transporting wafers in sealed, ultraclean enclosures, after it found that Asyst’s microenvironment products met or exceeded all of the company’s requirements for contamination control. He would not disclose the location of the line.
“Our requirements were for lower defect densities, lower particle contamination, containment of cleanroom costs, reduction of handler-based manufacturing errors and reduction of processing errors,” said Dr. Lipkin.

He added, however, that while IBM has seen some yield improvement as a result of the implementation, it will be a while before that improvement is quantified in a meaningful way. He also said the company has yet to determine the cost-effectiveness of the system.

Dr. Lipkin said installation of the SMIF line was completed in April.

The magnitude of the project was considerable, said Dr. Lipkin, noting that 43 semiconductor equipment vendors representing 50 tool types and more than 136 individual machines had to be integrated into the microenvironment. Dr. Lipkin said 94 SMIF Arms from Asyst were installed in the front end and another 91 in the back end of the production line.
Logistics control was provided through Asyst’s Smart Tags product line, which include automatic logon/logoff, cassette maps and data histories for improved identification and tracking of cassettes. Other Asyst products integrated into the line included SMIF Pods, sorter/cassette buffers, wafer backside bar code readers and an overhead monorail system.

Dr. Lipkin said suppliers of process tools were asked to integrate their products into the SMIF microenvironment.

“Some of them took a more serious approach, some less,” he said, noting that the difference was fairly obvious once the line was fully implemented. Suppliers to the line included Silicon Valley Group, ASM Lithography and Varian Associates, he said.

In general, the line appears to be functioning far below specified requirements, Dr. Lipkin said, adding that early yields analyses are “not conclusive, but they are promising.”

Dr. Lipkin said particle counts in the first several weeks were naturally higher due to contamination introduced in the installation of the line. After that time, particle counts generally dropped well below the specification.

Several concerns arose from the project, he said, including pod outgassing and cleaning and arm reliability. Those problems are being addressed, he said.

James Harper, director of strategic integration at Sematech, said Sematech has modeled the SMIF microenvironment in fab settings and determined that “a large factory (30,000 wafer starts per month) producing 0.25 micron product can realize a 2 percent cost reduction using minienvironments.”

“That translates to an annual savings of $15 million to $20 million, or about $50 per wafer,” he said.

Still, he said, it’s just a step along the way to where device manufacturers really want to be. “It’s on the evolutionary path, it’s an important step in the road. Microenvironments represents a step in separating the wafer from the environment. The bad news is, from here on, it becomes an even bigger challenge. The wafer has to be isolated all the time, not just part of the time.”

Dr. Harper said one of the more frustrating aspects of conntamination control is “an extremely long cycle time between the time an idea comes out and the time it is used in production manufacturing.”

For example, he said, Asyst’s SMIF product line has been available since 1987, but companies such as IBM are just now beginning to implement the microenvironment concept in a production line.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — New semiconductor manufacturing facilities could be built at 20 percent below current costs–turning out devices six times faster and producing 25-36 percent more revenue than existing fabs–according to the assertions of a just-completed study by Fluor Daniel, an architecture and engineering firm with expertise in building wafer fabs.

The six-month “Strategic Future Fab Study” (SFFS) project consulted 22 leading companies in the semiconductor industry, many of them semiconductor equipment and materials vendors. It was conducted for Fluor Daniel by Paul Castrucci & Associates of South Burlington, Vt. Dr. Castrucci, a veteran of semiconductor manufacturing at IBM, was once COO at Sematech.
Malcolm Williams, director of engineering for Fluor Daniel’s Electronics Division here, said his company projects 75 to 100 new fabs will be built worldwide by the turn of the century. “We wanted to understand the best way to meet this demand, and whether or not that was reflected in today’s conventional wisdom. We asked for a view of the future in semiconductor manufacturing from all the people who play a key role: fab equipment manufacturers, suppliers of chemicals and gases, experts in computer-integrated manufacturing, simulation experts, architects and potential clients for new fabricators.”

The assignment was to design a “standard” logic fab, designed to process 0.35-micron device geometries on 200-millimeter wafers with a four-layer metal CMOS process, a minimum of 25 part numbers and 500 wafer starts per day. Sixty percent of the wafer starts would be devoted to ASICs, with the remainder being MCUs/MPUs and static RAMs.
The study keyed in on 16-megabit SRAMs, “P7″ MPUs with 25 million transistors and standard cell/gate array logic with 800,000 gates per device. Four alternative future fab designs emerged, including a design for a conventional class 1 “ballroom” with stand-alone equipment. These were then evaluated with a variety of parameters.

“Mini-environments emerged in a new role as the key to the flexibility required to maximize revenue,” said Dr. Castrucci. “Our simulations of manufacturing systems show that integrated process tools, when combined with mini-environments and ’smart tag’ logistics systems, buy maximum flexibility and minimum production cycles of six days. That translates into greater profitability–from 25 to 36 percent more revenue per time period. Over the course of four years, it means an additional $987 million when compared to the conventional class 1 ballroom with stand-alone tooling.”

Specifics of the “minifab” include class 10,000 work spaces surrounding class 1 integrated cluster tools, with each cluster capable of up to eight process steps. Without “space suit” garments for fab workers, garments cost savings were $1.5 million a year, and power savings compared with ballroom construction were $1 million a year. Use of mini-environments, which keep wafers clean by enclosing them in ultraclean containers as they are transferred among processing equipment, reduces “several months” in the start of production, the study says.

A 34,500-sq.-ft. cleanroom not only offers sixday cycle times, but also shortens yield learning curves to one year, according to the Fluor Daniel study. By shortening the new-product time-to-market, the breakeven point is accelerated. The study also found that the most costefficient approach was to replicate the building as demand increased in multiples of 500 wafer starts per day.

The mini-fab’s production cycle of six or seven days contrasts with the 60 to 90 days seen today. In today’s conventional class 1 ballroom fabs with stand-alone equipment, wafers spend about 70 percent of their time on line waiting to get into the next tool, the study says.

With shorter cycle times and an advanced yield management system, yield targets were achieved in one year, rather than two. Yield bonuses could substantially increase profitability in the early years of a new product line.

In the most advanced concept presented by the study, Fluor Daniel foresees a production control center capable of presenting a 3D simulation of a “virtual factory,” enabling managing current production control and logistics for multiple part numbers and volumes, simulating future production and training production personnel.

The flexibility of the facility calls for allowing the first tool clusters installed to turn out product while space in the same room is being tooled up for capacity. With most fabs manufacturing four generations of product at any given time, mini-environments allow technology changes to take place without disrupting the entire facility.

“These fabs of the future can be built right now for 1996-1997 product requirements,” said Robert Young, VP of Fluor Daniel’s Electronics Division. “They can be on-line in 18 to 19 months, compared with the 22- to 36-months cycle that is now common.”

Jim Griffin, VP of micro-electronics at Integrated Circuit Engineering Corp. (ICE), one of the participants in the study, said the proposed fab of the future takes “a fresh approach” but “Like any model, it hasn’t been proven.”

ANDOVER, MASS.–With an eye toward leveraging its extensive international service organization, GCA Corp. has established a new division that will perform installation, support, training and service functions for other semiconductor production equipment companies.

Known as GCA Integrated Solutions (IS), the new division will try to change the traditional equipment industry bias toward keeping service in-house. By lowering the fixed costs associated with maintaining a service network, said GCA senior vice president for customer operations Ellery Buchanan, the organization can help small and large companies keep customers happy.
Amray Inc. signed on as the division’s first client; GCA IS will service and support Amray scanning electron microscopes in Europe.

“There are benefits to customers and suppliers,” said Mr. Buchanan. “A customer can deal with one service supplier for several systems. And for the supplier, we bring expertise, a stable work force and access to an in-house data collection program we developed” under a Sematech program. GCA has offices across the U.S., and in Britain, France, Germany, Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong; access to General Signal’s Japanese service organization is also available.

“Ongoing service and support has brought down most companies in this industry,” added Michael Wright, a former GCA executive who consulted with GCA on the division’s set-up. “It’s very difficult when you’re a $10 million or $12 million company and Intel or someone says they want you to support equipment at their fabs in Texas and Singapore and Japan. It will take third parties.”
Mr. Wright believes that the equipment industry is ready to move toward the third-party service model that is commonplace in the computer and office equipment industries. “The reality is that the industry is maturing, and that we’re not unlike other industries,” he said, noting that the average GCA service technician has six to 10 years of experience with software, precision mechanics, optics and other systems.

In addition to traditional service, GCA IS will offer paperless documentation services, based on those developed for the company’s XLS family of wafer steppers. Mechanical drawings, schematics, photos and text are combined in a cross-referenced program and displayed on the screen of a personal computer, obviating the need to bring manuals into cleanroom areas.

Test 150 AUDITORIUM APPLICATION WITH BAS COMPUTER SYSTEM - DESIGN TEST

1 OCCUPIED-UNOCCUPIED CONTROL:

The bas computer shall manage the (space, hours, transmitters) of occupied cycle operation based on 365 day calendar of events for use of the auditorium. The bas computer daily calendar (may, may not) be overridden to allow unscheduled and/or rescheduled use of the auditorium.

2 SPACE COOLING AND HEATING:

The bas computer shall provide (random, local, remote) trending of room thermostat temperature transmitter RT-1 data to indicate space temperature is within the design intent of [+ or -]1.5[degrees]F range. If the temperature range (fluctuates, remains, resets) beyond the [+ or -]1.5[degrees] range, an alarm shall be indicated back at the bas computer.
3 MONITORING AND MEASURING OUTDOOR AIR VENTILATION:

The bas computer shall provide remote trending of AHU outdoor air ventilation with flow measuring station FMS-1 indicating the design intent cfm (300 cfm outdoor air) at the bas computer. If the outdoor air fluctuates [+ or -] 10% of the (supply air, ventilation, air conditioning) range, an alarm shall be indicated back at the (supply fan, FMS-1, bas computer).

4 MONITORING AND MEASURING SUPPLY AIRFLOW:

Bas computer shall provide remote trending of AHU supply airflow with flow measuring station FMS-2 indicating design intent cfm (2,000 cfm constant supply airflow) at the (unit, bas computer, FMS-2). If the supply air fluctuates [+ or -] 10% (i.e., increase in static pressure due to dirty AHU filter), an alarm shall he indicated back at the bas computer.
Helpful Hints:

* There are several hvac system options, as well as numerous variations in auditorium design intent criteria. The design engineer needs to work closely with the owner representative to mutually agree upon the optimum system selection and space conditions for the auditorium.

* Refer to ASHRAE 2000 Systems and Equipment Handbook, Chapter 1 for system selection and analysis of the optimum hvac system for the auditorium application (i.e., central air system vs. rooftop hvac system) options.

AUDITORIUM APPLICATION WITH BAS COMPUTER SYSTEM — DESIGN TEST: I) hours; may; 2) remote; fluctuates; 3) ventilation; has computer; 4) bas computer.

Test 151 AUDITORIUM APPLICATION WITH BAS COMPUTER SYSTEM - FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE COMMISSIONING TEST

1 Set bas computer calendar to an occupied period of time. Verify that:

a. The supply air fan SAF-1 is (on, off, modulating) and the return air fan RAF-1 is (on, off, modulating).

b. Return air damper D-2 is (open, closed, modulating)

c. Outdoor air damper D-1 is (open, closed, modulating).

2 Set bas computer calendar to an unoccupied period of time. Verify that:

a. SAF-1 is off and the RAF-1 is off.

b. D-2 is (open, closed, modulating), outdoor air dampers D-1 and D-4, and exhaust air damper D-3 are (open, closed, modulating).

3 Override the bas computer calendar from unoccupied to occupied and add an unscheduled activity for the auditorium. Verify that:

a. SAF-1 (remains off, starts, varies flow) and the RAF-1 (remains off, starts, varies flow).

b. D-2 is (open, closed, modulating).

c. D-1 is (open, closed, modulating).

4 Reset room thermostat temperature transmitter RT-1 signal from 75[degrees] to (76[degrees], 74[degrees], 73[degrees]). Verify that:

a. The bas computer signals an alarm that space temperature has fluctuated beyond [+ or -]1.5[degrees] (setpoint, range, signal).

b. The AHU heating system is on, providing heat to bring space temperature back into design intent.

5 Reset flow-measuring station FMS-1 signal from design intent cfm of 300 cfm outdoor air to (315 cfm, 330 cfm, 345 cfm). Verify that:

a. The bas computer signals an alarm that outdoor air fluctuated beyond [+ or -] 10% of the ventilation range.

6 Release the overrides and verify the auditorium hvac system devices return to their normal positions and setpoints per the sequence of operation, based on the specific time-of-day system schedule.

Note: This functional performance test is only a part of the overall commissioning needed for this type of system.

AUDITORIUM APPLICATION WITH BAS COMPUTER SYSTEM, BASIC SYSTEM — COMMISSIONING TEST: 1) a. on; on; b. open; c. open; 2) b. open; closed; 3) a. starts; starts; b. open; c. open; 4) 73[degrees]F; a. range; 5) 345 cfm.

Back to Basics

The Back to Basics library has grown. Now available are Series 19 through 22:

Series 19 - Kitchen Hood Exhaust

Series 20 - Chillers

Series 21 - Equipment Room Ventilation

Series 22 - Cleanroom Systems

Or if you are missing a few series of Back to Basics[TM] reprints are available by contacting Nicole Dudus at Business News Publishing, 248-244-8257.

Who better to run a machine an the people who built it? Doyen Medipharm hopes that will prove to be a winning sales pitch as it builds its business of contract packaging for medical devices. The 11-year-old company has branched from construction and sales of medical packaging machinery into packaging of gloves, dressings, transdermal patches, in-vitro test devices and other medical devices and equipment.

Currently, Doyen Medipharm’s contract packaging operation consists of two rooms at its facility in Lakeland, Fla., where equipment is shuttled in and out as needed. One room is designated the “cleanroom” and one the “dry room,” although in fact they both have washdown and air-filtration capabilities necessary to cleanroom operations. The company has recently received a large-scale contract to package alcohol-soaked pads; as a result, Doyen is adding a third, high-volume contract packaging area.
That customer contracts out all its manufacturing. Most packaging contracts are going to be for projects that are just getting under way, Doyen executives say.

By the time a product reaches a critical volume, pharmaceutical and medical companies “know what the product is, they know what it’s going to look like, they can justify assigning work stations,” says Ray Johnson, president of Doyen’s U.S. operations. “But the introductory volumes can be a complete goose chase. Why should they gear up and have FDA validation on an operation for 10,000 units? The market results could come back terrible, and they often do. Ninety percent of our customers are guys who hope the thing will go to a million units, but they don’t know if it ever will.”
Such small-volume customers can be roughly divided into two categories, says Martin Beriswill, vice president of operations. Some are at the beginning of the development process and need packaging for clinical trial samples. Others have received all the necessary approvals but can’t for the moment justify buying the packaging equipment outright.

Doyen is hoping that its experience and expertise as one of the leading manufacturers of medical-device packaging machinery will serve as a major attraction for con tract packaging customers. The company, whose revenues exceeded $10 million last year, started in 1991 as a sales agent for machine producers Bodolay Pratt and Datum Technical; it purchased Bodolay Pratt in 1995 and Datum in 1997.

Machine expertise

Doyen offers a basic line of five machines: The 4SS (four-side-seal) and the HDW (high-dwell wrapper) for gloves, dressings, sutures and other small devices; the MT2500 thermoformer for larger devices such as syringes, catheters, gowns and tubing; the GPM (glove packaging machine) for wrapping gloves and other devices in interior “wallets”; and the TD (transdermal), which infuses medicine into a membrane, then seals, die-cuts and packages it.

Making the machinery puts Doyen in a good position for contract packaging, which the company started offering in 2000. Customers who start out contract packaging have the option of bringing the Doyen machine in-house, once the product is established.

In some cases, the customer can actually buy the machine that was used to create market samples, saving a significant amount of time on machine delivery and process validation. This scenario happened just recently. “That machine had been used for market sampling of a new style of packaging that one of our customers was developing, and the market studies determined it was marketable,” Beriswill says. “After we ran the samples and they did their marketing evaluation, they came back and actually bought the machine.”

Streamlining the validation process is one of the biggest advantages of buying a machine, or an entire line, after it’s been operated by a contract packager. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires detailed validation for medical/pharmaceutical packaging; manufacturers who avoid going through the process twice gain a considerable advantage. (See accompanying article above.)

Quality is vital

Packaging of surgical and other medical gloves is one of the most common large-scale operations for Doyen customers, both machinery buyers and users of Doyen’s contract packaging services. Doyen claims to have a 90% market share of glove-packaging machinery. Malaysia, the site of Doyen’s Asian sales office, is also the site of extensive glove manufacturing operations, mostly due to its status as a leading producer of latex rubber.

Gloves are more or less a commodity item, meaning that costs must be held down at every stage of production and packaging for them to be competitive. Most gloves are packaged in an inner “wallet” of paper, either folded or fully splayed, and enclosed in flexible secondary packaging. This secondary packaging can be paper or film, depending on various customer considerations, including price points and sterilization method. (Most gloves are sterilized with gamma radiation, the quickest and least expensive alternative.)

Metron (NASDAQ:MTCH), the Outsource Solutions Company, today announced that it has acquired the assets of the Cleanroom Consumables business from Prudential Cleanroom Services, a business unit of Prudential Overall Supply, a world leader in cleanroom garment and laundry service systems. Metron took ownership of these assets effective June 13, 2003. Metron expects to pay for the acquisition via seller financing. Further terms of the agreement were not released.
Revenues from the Cleanroom Consumables unit of Prudential Overall Supply for the past twelve months were approximately $8.0 million. Prudential is a privately held company headquartered in Irvine, CA. Metron will employ 16 employees from Prudential.

With locations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Japan, Metron will be able to provide global customers with a single source for a full portfolio of cleanroom consumables. Metron represents cleanroom consumables to the worldwide semiconductor market as part of its Fab Solutions portfolio of products and services. Metron Fab Solutions target the critical non-core areas of the fab and include: Cleanroom Integrated Solutions, Field Service, Gas & Fluid Handling, Parts Management, Repair & Refurbishment, and Warehousing & Logistics.

In addition to the acquisition, Metron and Prudential have agreed to partner to offer cleanroom garments and full service laundry as an integrated solution to customers in the United States.
“We are pleased to expand our cleanroom consumables offering through this acquisition and to have the opportunity to partner with Prudential, a leader in cleanroom garment management,” said Dennis Riccio, president and COO of Metron. “This agreement is another important step in the formulation of our Fab Solutions business model. It allows us to leverage products and services across the U.S. and into global markets utilizing Metron’s worldwide Fab Solutions infrastructure.”

About Metron

Metron (NASDAQ:MTCH), the Outsource Solutions Company, is a leading global provider of marketing, sales, service and support solutions to semiconductor materials and equipment suppliers and semiconductor manufacturers. Metron provides outsource solutions that address the critical non-core area of the fab and include products and services such as materials management solutions, cleanroom services, specialty and legacy equipment, and facility maintenance. Metron outsource solutions enable customers to increase fab productivity and focus on their core competencies, such as product development, manufacturing and marketing. By partnering with Metron, suppliers can focus on product development and other core competencies while reducing their time to market using Metron’s global infrastructure. Metron is headquartered in San Jose, California, and is on the web at http://www.metrontech.com

About Prudential

Prudential Cleanroom Services is a division of Prudential Overall Supply, established in 1932. Since 1960, Prudential Cleanroom Services is recognized as a world leader in cleanroom garment laundry processing with a network of ISO 9002 certified service facilities throughout the United States, in Mexico and Malaysia. Prudential Overall Supply provides image apparel and facility image and safety programs to business including work uniforms, casual and career apparel, entry and logo mats, paper products and other ancillary products and services. Prudential has its headquarters in Irvine, CA and is on the web at http://www.prudentialcleanroomservices.com

Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Metron Technology to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2002 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended February 28, 2003. Metron Technology does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Designed to meet needs of Class 1 to Class 100,000 cleanroom operations, benches feature wire undershelf for storage of booties and other clothing articles. Users can choose from stainless steel or chrome plated wire benches featuring 3-sided channel frame and 62% laminar flow. Available in 5 standard lengths from 36-84 in., models are also offered with stainless steel perforated tops. Solid-seat gowning benches feature front-to-back crossbracing.

Clayton, Del, October 7, 2004 - Cleanroom gowning benches from Eagle MHC provide a wide range of functionality to meet the needs of Class 1 to Class 100,000 cleanroom operations. Among the designs offered by Eagle are gowning benches that feature a special wire undershelf for under-the-seat storage of booties and other clothing articles.
Related Results: Cleanroom Equipment

Eagle’s gowning bench designs allow for superior laminar flow, in addition to providing ample storage capacity. Choose from stainless steel or chrome plated wire benches featuring a three-sided channel frame and offering 62% laminar flow. Also available are models with stainless steel perforated tops. Other Eagle models - solid-seat gowning benches - feature front-to-back crossbracing for handling the daily rigors of employee donning and doffing activities.

The stainless steel construction of Eagle’s gowning benches provides corrosion-free performance in addition to long-life durability. Benches are available in five standard lengths ranging from 36″ to 84″, featuring either a brushed finish or electropolished stainless steel.

Kinetic Systems, Inc. (Boston, MA) has designed the 9600 Series Vibration Isolation Workstation for use in cleanrooms.

The 9600 Series is constructed of stainless steel using cylindrical welded braces for maximum rigidity, minimum flat surfaces, and easy wipedown. An enclosed isolation module, stainless steel valves, and vented exhaust keep the 9600 Series in full compliance with Class 1 and Class 10 cleanroom standards. The unit is available with a choice of finishes: electropolish for Class 1 compatibility or clear passivate for Class 10.

The 9600 Series Workstation features low natural frequencies and high isolation efficiencies. Under maximum load at 80 psi and 10 Hz, typical vibration isolation efficiencies are 93 percent with a vertical natural frequency of 1.5 Hz, and 95 percent with a horizontal natural frequency of 1.6 Hz. It can be ordered with an isolated weight capacity of either 800 or 1300 lbs.

Kinetic Systems 9600 Series Workstations feature the company’s Active-Air Suspension system, a dual-chamber compressedair system that provides vibration damping and maintains a preset “zero deflection” level to compensate for load changes.

Tables are available up to 36 in. deep and 60 in. wide. Accessories such as guard rails, fixed or sliding shelves, and monitor supports are available.

Kinetic Systems develops vibration isolation equipment, optical tables, and related components for a wide range of industries worldwide, including research and development, quality control, laboratories, and semiconductor manufacturing.

In the beginning, a cleanroom was just that–a large, decontaminated room where production operations could be performed in relative sterility. These original rooms were large, complex and costly to build and operate. They were used almost exclusively by the pharmaceutical and electronics industries, which needed them and could afford them.

“Cleanroom” today often refers to something much more practical–smaller, modular and often operated without intervention from personnel except for occasional maintenance and repair. Many full-sized cleanrooms still operate, especially in high-volume pharmaceutical operations. But the trend toward minimal cleanroom size is enabling many more manufacturers to use efficient clean filling systems. Some of the fastest growth is taking place in beverage and liquid food filling plants.

Reducing the containment

The main source of contamination in clean areas is people: the workers who have to enter a work area, and who are subject to the conditions within the cleanroom while at work. All else being equal, simply removing the people from a cleanroom causes contaminant levels to fall dramatically. Workers also have to be gowned and sanitized, a costly and time-consuming process. Eliminating workers from filling areas has been a major step forward in making cleanroom areas more practical in size and cost-effective to install and operate.

The removal took place by designing smaller clean containments with the filling operation inside and the workers and mechanical / actuating systems of the equipment outside. Not only did that change eliminate the need to decontaminate and gown workers; it also, in many cases, reduced the number of workers needed.

Bosch Packaging Technology has led in the development of barrier isolation technology in which the clean area is designed to surround and isolate only a filling operation, creating a Class 100 environment within a larger Class 100,000 external environment. All drives and motors are accessible for maintenance and repair from outside the containment; no personnel need enter the protected filling chamber. The Bosch MAFS[R] (Mini Aseptic Filling System) was introduced in 1992; there are now more than 170 MAFS operating in pharmaceutical facilities.

The benefits: a study conducted by Merck & Co. in 1997 indicated that adopting isolators like file MAFS could cut facility size in half, cut facility costs by up to 70%, reduce operating staff by 50% and double equipment utilization rates.

The newest Bosch Packaging Technology equipment, to be introduced formally in November at Pack Expo International, is the FLM aseptic filling system. Improved laminar airflow; easy access for operation, maintenance and cleaning; and a sleek, compact profile add up to a more secure and productive filling operation. The FLM is available in both isolator and non-isolator configurations and features built-in flexibility for 0.2 to 500 milliliter vials with output speeds of up to 600 units per minute. Automatic in-process checkweighing provides better sampling and streamlines the validation process.

Phoenix–Intel and other semiconductor manufacturers won the first round last week in a property tax dispute which could have cost them more than $80 million. But the issue is not yet resolved. The outcome could have an impact on the policies of other states with high concentrations of electronics companies.

The Finance Committee of the Arizona Senate last week accepted legislation designed to make semiconductor cleanrooms personal property, instead of real property, for tax purposes.

Like many states, Arizona has used lower taxes to induce semiconductor makers and other high-tech manufacturers to build factories here. One inducement has been to assess cleanrooms as personal property rather than real property. The result can be a savings of as much as 72 percent in the first year’s property taxes.

In what seemed a drastic change in policy, the tax assessor of Maricopa County (which includes the Phoenix metropolitan area) told Intel the cleanroom in its Fab 12 in Chandler would be reclassified as real property. It meant Intel would be hit with a substantial property tax increase.

Intel protested and went to the State Board of Equalization, which ruled against the county assessor. However, the basis of the decision is not clear. The assessor’s office described the ruling as based on a “technicality” in the law. It plans to appeal the issue.

Whatever the ultimate outcome, the dispute led the Arizona Association of Industries (AAI) to take action. Its tax committee co-chair, Barb Dickerson, Arthur Andersen’s director of Arizona tax practice, complained, “Clearly, Maricopa County is shifting the tax burden to business taxpayers.” She added, “Business taxpayers already pay a heavier burden than residential taxpayers.”

That burden would be expensive. If the average cleanroom was taxed as real property, Ms. Dickerson said, it would mean a $3.3 million tax increase over a five-year depreciation period. Among the largest semiconductor companies, there are 33 cleanrooms in Maricopa County. “Over the five-year period,” she said, “that would be almost $81 million. That doesn’t include the smaller semiconductor manufacturers.”