Excelitas Technologies Corp. expands cleanroom capacity at the Qioptiq location in Göttingen

In the CleanCell® cleanroom of ISO Class 6, semiconductors for optical components are measured, assembled, and later packaged.

The technicians enter the cleanroom through an airlock and put on cleanroom-compatible clothing that releases only a few particles.

The 12 m² large material lock achieves ISO Class 7 and is separated from the cleanroom by quick-operating roller shutters.

Qioptiq (since October 2013 an Excelitas Technologies company) specializes in the manufacture of optical components and systems. The high-tech production facility in Göttingen is the competence center within Excelitas for semiconductor technology and thus of strategic importance for the company in the growing semiconductor market. In this segment, Qioptiq expects further significant business growth in the coming years. The photonics company continuously invests in the latest technologies to meet the ever-increasing demands of its customers in the future.

To implement the increasing order volume in the usual standard and to meet the required delivery times, Excelitas expanded the cleanroom manufacturing at the Qioptiq location in Göttingen at short notice at the beginning of 2015 with a new ISO Class 6 facility covering 175 sqm. A new cleanroom had already been put into operation at this site at the end of 2012. Currently, Qioptiq in Göttingen has 430 sqm of cleanroom space available for the assembly of complex optical systems.

Currently, around 240 employees work at Qioptiq in Göttingen. Worldwide, Excelitas and Qioptiq together employ approximately 5,500 staff members.

Collaboration with Schilling Engineering enables commissioning after only two months

For the realization of the technically demanding system, the Göttingen-based company once again commissioned the specialized cleanroom technology firm SCHILLING ENGINEERING GmbH. A particular challenge was the short planning and construction time: the new cleanroom was realized within just two months and commissioned at the end of March 2015. As a result, the first optical module could be delivered to the customer on time at the end of May 2015.

Dr. Robert Vollmers, Managing Director of Qioptiq: "It was of utmost importance to our customer to receive the product assembled in the new cleanroom on time. Without the high commitment and the quality work of the engineers from Schilling Engineering in timely qualification of the cleanroom, this goal would not have been achievable. The high level of trust our customer has in Qioptiq has thus been further strengthened."

Sebastian Illert, Operations Manager at Qioptiq Göttingen, is convinced of the necessity of using the latest cleanroom technology: "We are very satisfied with the technology and functionality of the CleanCell cleanroom. With our new system, we offer an extremely high level in the precision manufacturing of optomechanical systems and modules. Collaboration with the experienced technicians of our cleanroom partner was straightforward and resulted in an excellent outcome. Schilling Engineering understands our high standards and implements them quickly and precisely."

State-of-the-art cleanroom equipment meets the highest standards

The production and assembly of optomechanical components for integrated semiconductors require an environment that is virtually particle-free and maintains stable temperature and humidity. Since the highly sensitive components can be impaired even by the smallest contaminants, the production process takes place exclusively under controlled cleanroom conditions.

The newly installed CleanCell© cleanroom system, with a total area of 175 sqm, guarantees cleanroom air quality of ISO Class 6. The system consists of three cleanrooms connected by interlockable electric sliding doors. The largest room, covering 85 sqm, is used for the assembly of highly sensitive optomechanical components; additional rooms are used for testing and packaging and are equipped for specific laser measurements. Personnel and components are brought into the cleanroom via separate personnel and material airlocks. Since some components have a large volume and the special temperature- and humidity-stable packaging materials also require significant space, the material lock was designed with 12 sqm and equipped with wide roller doors. The special cleanroom doors are highly airtight and maintain low air exchange and pressure drop through particularly quick opening and closing.

The cleanroom system is equipped with high-performance filters of ULPA class U15. Directed airflow removes tiny airborne particles from the working environment. An innovative recirculation and return air management within the cleanroom walls ensures precise cleanroom purging and offers high energy efficiency, as the already filtered and cooled air is recirculated in the air exchange cycle. Wall and ceiling modules of the cleanroom are connected with a silicone-free sealing clip system. This guarantees extremely high airtightness of the cleanrooms, low particle emission, and offers the advantage of flexible expansion or retrofitting options of the modular system.

The use of the cleanroom control system CR Control®, which has already proven itself in the existing systems at the Göttingen site, was also ordered again. Through two interactive monitors of the control system, connections are established to the connected sensors measuring pressure, humidity, and temperature, as well as to filter modules, climate cabinets, door and light functions, and other components. All essential functions are monitored and can be individually operated and regulated.