Nanotechnology research is the newest entry into the dynamic field of advanced technology. The buildings required to carry out this work may be dramatically different from those used for other areas of advanced technology. Virtually all of these facilities impose stringent environmental criteria upon the workplace, in such areas as vibration, temperature control, fume exhaust, and electromagnetic interference. However, nanotechnology is requiring new combinations of building needs – some of them seemingly incompatible – and demanding much more stringent environmental performance than ‘conventional’ technology facilities. This paper reviews many of the workplace environmental requirements that must be met by advanced technology buildings, explores the relatively recent genesis of the dedicated nanotechnology facility, including the newer interior environmental requirements, and addresses some of the construction implications. It also presents a ‘snapshot’ of the facilities that were under design and construction in March 2003, most of which are either recently completed or nearing completion.
Amick, H., “Buildings for nanotechnology: A look back at the genesis of a new building type,” Semiconductor FabTech, pp. 57-63, January 2006.
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