A 'fab' partnership

Following the acquisition of the Nortel Networks Optical Components (NNOC) businesses in November 2002, Bookham Technology decided to transfer the NNOC Wafer Fab in Ottawa (Canada) to its Caswell site in Northamptonshire as part of a major company cost reduction initiative. John Mills, Bookham's UK facilities director, explained: "I believe this project to be unique within this industry. The challenge was that of designing, building and commissioning a new wafer fab facility within the minimum time necessary to transfer by air freight an existing qualified set of complex process tools from one site to another. Ordering new tools was not an option, as tools such as metal organic vapour phase epotaxi (MOVPE) are long lead-time items, the wait for which would have had a detrimental effect on the smooth running of our business."

Time constraints The company did not have the luxury of the usual prolonged procurement lead time for a complex conversion or construction project of this nature. John Mills and his team worked in partnership with BDP Advanced Technologies and Daw Technologies to formulate and manage an aggressive refurbishment project. As a result, the initial project length of 40 weeks was accelerated to just 25 weeks. The 1,200m2 pre-existing assembly and test facility presented the designers of the new wafer fab with a considerable challenge. David Cunliffe, engineering director at BDP Advanced Technologies, said: "The sheer number of tools and services required and the need to 'future-proof' the facility meant that the number of design permutations for this space were few and ingenious. We created the design, which was developed into working drawings by Daw." The contract, in fact, was handed over by Daw two weeks early. Trevor Drummond, Daw Technologies' regional sales manager, said: "This was our first major contract since the formal integration of Daw Technologies and Daw Process Systems, and so proved pivotal for our company. We drew on our well established relationship with BDP Advanced Technologies to manage this turnkey project, as well as managing specialist contractors." The Daw team of 50 engineers were responsible for the detail design and the co-ordination of all services, which ranged from base build services to specialist tool hook up. Despite the refurbishment, the facility remained live, operating 24 hours a day.

Stripping and upgrading The team began by stripping out the building's existing services and upgrading the DI water system. Daw installed a new effluent treatment system, and associated process drains and collection systems in the cleanroom. As clean dry air (CDA) is process critical, a system with duty/standby functionality was installed. The air handling systems were also upgraded, along with alterations to the associated ductwork. Process gases were installed, some from pre-existing supplies, while others came from new gas cabinets. These included nitrogen and hydrogen, as well as several specialist gases. New enclosures were built for various pieces of plant and equipment along with the associated building works. Trevor Drummond explained: "The original, low grade cleanroom had to undergo considerable change to accept the new production tools. There also had to be major changes to the ceiling, walls and floor layouts. To ensure that all the electrical supplies and control interfaces were maintained, we worked closely with Bookham's suppliers. Once the base build and cleanroom modifications were complete, we were able to demonstrate the facility's classification before fitting the production tools. Once the 26 tools were installed, we balanced all the systems and commissioned the facility. The final validation then followed, completed by a third party to ensure that all the requisite environmental conditions had been met." John Mills concluded: "DAW proved to be an accommodating partner for this project. In addition to the usual predictable challenges associated with adapting and extending an existing site's infrastructure and staged tool hook-up, there were several unique ones. These sprang from the need to minimise interruptions or disruptions to existing processes and facilities. One of the results was that of zero reportable injuries or incidents during the 52,000 plus man-hours worked by Daw during the project within a highly regulated, high hazard environment."