Equipment & Infrastructure

To serve its scientific users, FIRST operates a large amount of scientific and technological equipment, ranging from tools for epitaxy, lithography and vacuum systems for thin film deposition and etching, to precise analysis equipment for the control and verification of material parameters and processes.

There is a lot of power behind the walls of FIRST.
A total area of 860m2 contains 10 cleanroom cabins with an area of 400m2. The air in the cabins is controlled and monitored with respect to particle concentration, temperature and humidity and is exchanged about once per minute. Various loops with different water qualities are installed. Over 20 different fluids are distributed throughout FIRST, from gaseous and liquid nitrogen to arsine. Several kilometers of cables distribute electrical power and collect data from controllers and sensors. An automatic surveillance system with over 800 datapoints monitors the status of the facility including the very important safety infrastructure.

Expressed in numbers:

• fresh air input: 45’000m3/hour
• maximum cooling power: 650 kW
• installed electrical power: 350 kW
• liquid nitrogen consumption: 530’000 liters/year
• 28 toxic gas sensors

As long as the infrastructure works well, hardly anyone will notice its complexity. We are confident of maintaining this flawless record in the future.