IT16212 STFC DRIE Refurbishment Site Day

Tender description

STFC, working closely with UK SBS are to host a Site Day to be held on Thursday 15th December 2016 at; I-TAC MNT Innovations-Technology Access Centre (I-TAC) Business and Innovations Directorate Science and Technology Facilities Council Rutherford AppletonLaboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0QX. Further details of this event can be obtained by expressing an interest to professionalservices@uksbs.co.uk clearly stating the reference number IT16212. In addition, further information will be released publicly in due course. The Requirement will be tendered following the Site Day. The anticipated timescales for this are to launch on the 16th Dec 2016 with receipt of tenders on the 12th January 2017. This may be subject to change. The Requirement can be found in the attached specification; overview below. Innovations Technology Access Centre - Micro & Nano Technology group (ITAC-MNT) operates within the Business Innovation Directorate of STFC based at Rutherford Appleton Laboratories. Our Cleanroom facility is unique in offering an "Open-Access" approach for Tenants, Off-site users and other STFC departments so that Customers can be trained and then have access to run & develop their own products on these tools. This gives SME companies, University students and other Industry Users open-access to semi-conductor machinery only otherwise situated in dedicated Large-Corporation Companies or Research Labs. Aims Two DRIE Multiplex ICP systems form an essential part of ITAC-MNT's toolset offered to our Tenants and Cleanroom Users. They use incompatible gases and processes to etch very different materials. These two machines cannot be replaced by one tool. One system (STS1) is setup using Fluorine chemistry for deep silicon etching for Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) type devices:- • Silicon micro-machining • MEMS - Actuators, micro-motors • Bio-MEMS - micro-fluidic channels for use in lab-on-a-chip devices The second system (STS2) is setup using Chlorine chemistry for etching of exotic materials such as Sapphire, GaAs and other compound III-V semiconductor materials used in high performance electronics and optoelectronics. The two DRIE systems (STS1 and STS2) require upgrading because they run obsolete software and use obsolete computers that have become too difficult to repair and maintain. If the machines no longer run then either a new system needs to be purchased or refurbishment of the system needs to be undertaken; otherwise we will lose part of our capability that we can offer. This will ultimately have an effect on both our income and the level of services we can offer to Customers. Objectives • We require two systems to be refurbished. • De-commissioning with minimal impact on Users of our Cleanroom. • A new software system + PCs to control it are needed.