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Poster features 4 cleanrooms within the control of APS-TD, all with their own class 1000, Class 100, and Class 10 areas. Each cleanroom is equipped with areas suited for parts cleaning and preparation, particle free assemblies, UHV evacuation, leak detection and residual gas analysis.
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Within the NIF (National Ignition Facility) sustainment project, LLNL is replacing all 1,728 blast shields with new ones. Before the new blast shield glass can be installed on NIF, it must pass through the AMOL (Amplifier Main Optics Loop). The AMOL process involves cleaning and coating the glass, assembling it into a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU), and performing testing and inspection. This work will be conducted in the OPFX cleanroom facility (Building 391, Room 1250) and requires several pieces of custom equipment. One key piece of equipment within the loop is the Handling Frame Assembly Table (see Figure 1.1). Its purpose is to assist operators in installing the blast shield glass into handling frames (1014442709) (see Figure 1.2). The table is also used to store handling frame assembly components. The primary components stored are the L-frames (1015208271), which are kept in a drawer underneath the table (see Figure 1.3). The purpose of this safety note is to ensure that the system does not pose a risk of injury to personnel during a seismic event. The system owner is OMST Engineering & Maintenance.
Abstract The addition of surface acoustic wave (SAW) technologies to microfluidics has greatly advanced lab-on-a-chip applications due to their unique and powerful attributes, including high-precision manipulation, versatility, integrability, biocompatibility, contactless nature, and rapid actuation. However, the development of SAW microfluidic devices is limited by complex and time-consuming micro/nanofabrication techniques and access to cleanroom facilities for multistep photolithography and vacuum-based processing. To simplify the fabrication of SAW microfluidic devices with customizable dimensions and functions, we utilized the additive manufacturing technique of aerosol jet printing. We successfully fabricated customized SAW microfluidic devices of varying materials, including silver nanowires, graphene, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). To characterize and compare the acoustic actuation performance of these aerosol jet printed SAW microfluidic devices with their cleanroom-fabricated counterparts, the wave displacements and resonant frequencies of the different fabricated devices were directly measured through scanning laser Doppler vibrometry. Finally, to exhibit the capability of the aerosol jet printed devices for lab-on-a-chip applications, we successfully conducted acoustic streaming and particle concentration experiments. Overall, we demonstrated a novel solution-based, direct-write, single-step, cleanroom-free additive manufacturing technique to rapidly develop SAW microfluidic devices that shows viability for applications in the fields of biology, chemistry, engineering, and medicine.
Manipulating the nanostructure of materials is critical for numerous applications in electronics, magnetics, and photonics. However, conventional methods such as lithography and laser writing require cleanroom facilities or leave residue. We describe an approach to creating atomically sharp line defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) at room temperature by direct optical phonon excitation with a mid-infrared pulsed laser from free space. We term this phenomenon “unzipping” to describe the rapid formation and growth of a crack tens of nanometers wide from a point within the laser-driven region. Formation of these features is attributed to the large atomic displacement and high local bond strain produced by strongly driving the crystal at a natural resonance. This process occurs only via coherent phonon excitation and is highly sensitive to the relative orientation of the crystal axes and the laser polarization. Its cleanliness, directionality, and sharpness enable applications such as polariton cavities, phonon-wave coupling, and in situ flake cleaving.
The exploration of new materials, novel quantum phases, and devices requires ways to prepare cleaner samples with smaller feature sizes. Initially, this meant the use of a cleanroom that limits the amount and size of dust particles. However, many materials are highly sensitive to oxygen and water in the air. Furthermore, the ever-increasing demand for a quantum workforce, trained and able to use the equipment for creating and characterizing materials, calls for a dramatic reduction in the cost to create and operate such facilities. To this end, we present our cleanroom-in-a-glovebox, a system that allows for the fabrication and characterization of devices in an inert argon atmosphere. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability to perform a wide range of characterization as well as fabrication steps, without the need for a dedicated room, all in an argon environment. Finally, we discuss the custom-built antechamber attached to the back of the glovebox. This antechamber allows the glovebox to interface with ultra-high vacuum equipment such as molecular-beam epitaxy and scanning tunneling microscopy.
The KDP Optic Precision Cleaning System (PCS) is used is a standalone batch-process system used to clean Potassium di-Hydrogen Phosphate (KDP) optics required for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). There are two nearly identical machines owned by the US government, as provided by Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS). One machine is located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA in a Class 100 cleanroom and the other is located at the Gooch & Housego (G&H) facility in Highland Heights, OH in a Class 1,000 cleanroom.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Center for Micro and Nanotechnology (CMNT) is located on the LLNL campus in Livermore, CA. LLNL employs over 7000 employees with a broad range of science and engineering backgrounds with an administrative structure that encourages multidisciplinary teaming, a key ingredient in our ability to address diverse technical problems. Our CMNT facility houses a 6,400 ft 2 class 100 cleanroom (class 10 capable) with an additional 1,000 ft 2 Class 1000 space, and 6000 ft 2 of other laboratories. Most equipment can accommodate 6” wafers, although some is limited to 4”. The CMNT is a multi-user, multi-programmatic facility that offers a broad set of instruments for microfabrication to invent, develop, and apply microscale and nanoscale technologies to support national security missions in Stockpile Stewardship, Homeland Security, Directed Energy, Nonproliferation, biomedical research, and more. The research and capabilities of the Center cover materials, devices, instruments, and systems that require microfabricated components, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), electronics, photonics, micro- and nanostructures, bio-implantable devices, and micro- and nanoactuators.
Dust particulate fallout on materials in use for rare-event searches is a concerning source of radioactive backgrounds due to the presence of the naturally occurring radionuclides 40 K, 232 Th, 238 U, and their progeny in dust. Much effort is dedicated to inform radioactive backgrounds from dust and evaluate the efficacy of mitigation procedures. A great portion of such effort relies on fallout models and assumed dust composition. Here, in this work, an ICP-MS based methodology was employed for a direct determination of fallout rates of radionuclides and stable isotopes of interest from dust particulate at the SNOLAB facility. Hosted in an active mine, the SNOLAB underground laboratory strives to maintain experimental areas at class 2000 cleanroom level. This work validates the mitigation procedures in place at SNOLAB and informs dust backgrounds during laboratory activities. Fallout rates of major constituents of the local rock were measured two to three orders of magnitude lower in the clean experimental areas compared to non-clean transition areas from the mine to the laboratory. An increase of approximately two orders of magnitude in the fallout rate of stable Pb isotopes was determined in an experimental area during activities involving handling of Pb bricks. Increased 40 K, 232 Th, and 238 U fallout rates were measured in clean experimental areas during activities generating particulate.
Field emission (FE) remains a significant hurdle for achieving optimal performance and reliability in superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities used in accelerator cryomodules. A thorough understanding of the generation and propagation of FE-induced radiation is therefore essential to mitigate this problem. The absence of standardized measurement protocols further complicates the comparison of radiation data across different testing phases and facilities. This highlights the need for a precise quantitative method to diagnose and analyze FE-induced radiation. Such efforts could prove beneficial for improving cavity preparation and cleanroom assembly techniques during the prototype and production stages of Fermilab's Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) project. This study presents the initial steps of detailed Geant4 simulations aimed at analyzing FE-induced radiation in the low-beta 650 MHz 5-cell elliptical (LB650) cavity. Our goal is to combine these results with radiation diagnostics to enhance diagnostic accuracy and optimize detector positioning. This integrated approach ultimately aims to improve the preparation, assembly, and testing procedures for PIP-II SRF cavities, ensuring the delivery of FE-free cryomodules.
Field emission (FE) remains a significant hurdle for achieving optimal performance and reliability in super-conducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities used in accelerator cryomodules. A thorough understanding of the generation and propagation of FE-induced radiation is therefore essential to mitigate this problem. The absence of standardized measurement protocols further complicates the comparison of radiation data across different testing phases and facilities. This highlights the need for a precise quantitative method to diagnose and analyze FE-induced radiation. Such efforts could prove beneficial for improving cavity preparation and cleanroom assembly techniques during the prototype and production stages of Fermilab's Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) project. This study presents the initial steps of detailed Geant4 simulations aimed at analyzing FE-induced radiation in the low-beta 650 MHz 5-cell elliptical (LB650) cavity. Our goal is to combine these results with radiation diagnostics to enhance diagnostic accuracy and optimize detector positioning. This integrated approach ultimately aims to improve the preparation, assembly, and testing procedures for PIP-II SRF cavities, ensuring the delivery of FE-free cryomodules.
The Black Hills Underground Campus (BHUC) houses a low background counting facility on the 4850’ level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) with ~4300 m w.e. of rock overburden. Currently there are five ultra-low-background, high-purity germanium detectors operating inside of a class-1,000 cleanroom at the Davis Campus, with a sixth anticipated to be installed within a year. Here, a robust nitrogen purge system and on-site personnel assistance allow these detectors to run continuously to support groups that need low background counting of materials.
Over the past two decades, serial X-ray crystallography has enabled the structure determination of a wide range of proteins. With the advent of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), ever-smaller crystals have yielded high-resolution diffraction and structure determination. A crucial need to continue advancement is the efficient delivery of fragile and micrometre-sized crystals to the X-ray beam intersection. This paper presents an improved design of an all-polymer microfluidic `chip' for room-temperature fixed-target serial crystallography that can be tailored to broadly meet the needs of users at either synchrotron or XFEL light sources. The chips are designed to be customized around different types of crystals and offer users a friendly, quick, convenient, ultra-low-cost and robust sample-delivery platform. Compared with the previous iteration of the chip [Gilbile et al. (2021), Lab Chip , 21 , 4831–4845], the new design eliminates cleanroom fabrication. It has a larger imaging area to volume, while maintaining crystal hydration stability for both in situ crystallization or direct crystal slurry loading. Crystals of two model proteins, lysozyme and thaumatin, were used to validate the effectiveness of the design at both synchrotron (lysozyme and thaumatin) and XFEL (lysozyme only) facilities, yielding complete data sets with resolutions of 1.42, 1.48 and 1.70 Å, respectively. Overall, the improved chip design, ease of fabrication and high modifiability create a powerful, all-around sample-delivery tool that structural biologists can quickly adopt, especially in cases of limited sample volume and small, fragile crystals.
The goal of this internship is to develop a fluid dynamics characterization of the high-pressure flow used for cleaning the internal surface of the SRF cavities. Initially, the High Pressure Rinsing (HPR) process is introduced, focusing on the problems of the SRF cavities and how this method can be used to increase their acceleration efficiency and performance. The characterization of the problem is then presented, including an introduction to the multiphase flow modeling and the analysis of the Fermilab facility for the HPR. To accomplish the goal, a preliminary estimation of the variables was performed using MATLAB. Then, multiple 2D simulations were developed with Ansys Fluent, and the influence of the main parameter was investigated. The simulation results are then presented and analysed, with a focus on the possible future developments of the HPR process fluid dynamic characterization.
Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities for particle accelerators require tight tolerances, ultrahigh vacuum, and strict cleanliness during assembly. As in the semiconductor industry, defects such as particles and residues are deleterious to performance, possibly rendering a cavity unfit for use. This problem is addressed primarily through cleanroom assembly during sensitive steps and rigorous chemical processing to prevent and remove such defects. Human workers are often the largest source of contamination, even with proper gowning and practices. The semiconductor industry has long integrated robots in cleanroom operation, but this has not occurred for SRF cavity production; SRF cavities, unlike wafers, are complex shapes, require more hands-on mechanical assembly, and are low-volume production items. At Jefferson Laboratory, a co-operative robot (cobot) has been setup to overcome these problems. Cobots are safe for use alongside human workers and can integrate new tools such as a 3D camera part detection and gripper for item manipulation. Therefore, cobots represent a promising avenue for reducing particulate generated during a variety of assembly tasks. A mockup of a cavity pair and coupler was setup and the cobot programmed to automatically pick up the coupler and place on the mating cavity flange. Particle counting methods were setup to measure human vs cobot assembly particulate generation inside a cavity mockup. Other potential uses will be discussed for further improving SRF cavity assembly steps, where a cobot can replace or assist a human operator, and what potential gains are expected.