Appendix E
S.O.P.- Standard Operating Procedures
MICROLAB SAFETY RULES
Revised 2-19-07
1.) The following Microlab safety rules must be read, understood, and practiced at all times. Use common sense when thinking of safety. When working in the Microlab, think about your actions and how they will affect other lab members, as well as yourself. The rules and procedures outlined here have evolved from experience and are for the protection of you and fellow lab members. Failure to follow them can result in expulsion from the Microlab. If you have any questions, feel free to ask a staff member. There are no excuses for not following safety procedures.
Rule 1. Safety First !
Rule 2. Leave the area CLEANER than you found it !
2.) Handling Emergencies After Hours
The Microlab Emergency Response Plan is posted by the telephones. Please follow the procedures listed. The following are a list of the phone numbers detailed in the Emergency Response Plan, call them in the order listed.
Emergency Phone Numbers
See the numbers listed by the telephones. In case of an emergency after hours, on a weekend or a holiday call the following phone number. For Injury, Fire, or Crime 911.
The nature of the emergency will determine whether you will call police, staff, or both. If someone is injured, the 911 emergency number should be called before calling staff. If there is a facilities problem, such as a flood or a utility problem that does not represent a danger to the lab users but may result in damage to equipment, the staff and Campus Services need to be called at 292-6158. The 911 emergency should not be called for facility or equipment problems. Always call 911 when a potentially life threatening situation might exist (injury, fire, gas leak, suspected bomb, etc.)
3.) Restrictions
Open toed shoes, or sandals are not permitted. Shorts are permitted only if the lab member is wearing a "bunny suit" for complete coverage. Wearing of contact lenses in the lab is discouraged due to the hazard of trapping chemicals in or under your lenses. Soft or hydrated contact lenses may contain up to 50% water by weight and can become irritating if they absorb chemical vapors from the air. If you choose to wear contact lenses in the lab, you do so at your own risk. Safety goggles, face shield, and apron must be worn at all times when handling chemicals.
4.) Entering the Cleanroom
Swipe your card with the magnetic strip as indicated and with the arrow. When the red light stops blinking and stays on, push the door shut and then pull open. The door’s handle will not swing down; just push the door closed then pull open. Always swipe your student ID even if you’re with a fellow lab member when entering the cleanroom!
CHEMICAL SAFETY
- Chemical Information and Reference Materials
A large number of chemicals are used in the Microlab.
An inventory of 'Standard Chemicals' is listed in the MSDS binder. If a chemical you need is not listed in the Chemical and Materials inventory, you must:
a) Send e-mail to Jim Jones, Microlab Supervisor ()
and get approval to bring your chemical into the Microlab.
b) Make sure an MSDS is ordered at the time the chemical is purchased. Chemicals cannot be brought into the Microlab until an MSDS sheet is on file in the MSDS binders. MSDS sheets should be given to Jim Jones when received.
c) Get an "Approved Lab Chemical" sticker from Jim Jones before bringing chemical into the lab. This sticker is placed on the bottle and identifies the lab user, date and receipt of MSDS. Any microlab user chemical that does not have a sticker is subject to disposal. When you graduate or leave the university you are to dispose of the chemicals you brought into the lab by contacting Jim Jones.
d) All chemicals stored in containers must be labeled with name of contents, dated, name and Department of user and their phone number. Chemicals for a dedicated use are designated as "special chemicals" and are inventoried separately from standard chemicals. Special chemicals should be ordered in minimum volumes, reducing high disposal costs. Your account will be charged for disposal costs of any special chemicals you bring into the Microlab. Microlab members should familiarize themselves with the chemicals that they plan to use in their research. To help, there are several references available at Environmental Health and Safety ( and may be consulted regarding the properties and toxicology of chemicals. Their phone number is 292-1284. This sight has on-line Lab Standard Training that everyone must complete before using the cleanroom so go there and do the training and e-mail me the confirmation you receive at the training session. Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are required for every chemical in the Microlab. MSDS sheets are located in binder located in the gowning area of the Microlab. A duplicate set can be found in the ECE office (Room 205DL) also the department’s Chemical Hygiene Plan is there and on the Cleanroom web site under Documents. When requesting the use of a special chemical you must procure a copy of the MSDS for that chemical prior to bringing it into the Microlab. MSDS sheets are routinely supplied by vendors when ordering chemicals.
Before using a chemical, read the MSDS. - Protecting Yourself
Prior to working with chemicals, make sure you are properly protected. If working with acids, corrosive or hazardous chemicals, you must wear a rubber apron chemically rated, rubber gloves, goggles, and a face shield. If gloves, aprons, or face shields aren't readily available near your location, contact Jim Jones and the necessary items will be provided. The vinyl gloves you put on when you enter the lab are for the protection of lab surfaces and equipment, and are not of sufficient strength to protect against chemical burns or solvents. Two types of gloves are commonly used in the lab:
a) Latex Gloves
Located in the cabinet of the gowning room. These are for the protection of lab surfaces
from contamination of oils and salts on your hands and must be worn at all times in the
lab.
b) Rubber Gloves (green)
These gloves can be found in the fume hoods for working with etchants and/or corrosives.
Check these gloves regularly for wear and replace them when needed by notifying the staff.
Green Nitril gloves are chemically rated and must be worn whenever you work with
caustics or corrosives. If immersion or exposure of your gloved hands is anticipated, it is
required that you leak-check your rubber gloves. This is accomplished by pressurizing
them with a nitrogen gun and feel for gas flow on your face. Immersing them in water and
looking for bubbles works too.
Gloves are dirty and should never touch your samples.
- Transporting Chemicals Through the Lab
Glass chemical bottles cannot be transported through the lab or building hallways unprotected. Individual bottles must be placed in a rubber safety carrier located in the gowning room. Remember to return these safety carriers to the front of the lab when you are done with them. Be sure to check that there are no bottles of the chemical you need in your area before bringing in and opening new ones. A chemical inventory list is posted on the door of the cabinet. After removing any item from the cabinet make sure the doors are closed. Cabinet doors must always remain closed for safety reasons. If you cannot locate a chemical listed on these inventory sheets contact Jim Jones.
4.Working with Chemicals
Always work at a fume hood or a wet process station! Fume hoods and wet process stations are exhausted, with face velocities greater than 100 feet/minute.
Working with GaAs
III-V compound semiconductor researchers should review the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Gallium Arsenide prior to working with this material. Gallium Arsenide is ranked as a possible carcinogen if it is heated in air above 285C. Volatile arsenic oxides form at this temperature in air. In addition, Gallium Arsenide is a hazard when ground, cut, or polished. Grinding or wet lapping must be done in fume hood. No dry grinding or lapping of GaAs is allowed without hazard assessment by the campus office of Environment Health & Safety.
Dry Chemicals
Always open and dispense dry chemicals in a fume hood so all particulate will be sucked away and not enter the cleanroom. When measuring out chemicals never pour a chemical back into its reagent bottle. This can contaminate the remaining chemical in the bottle.
When using dry chemicals, pour them from the bottle when possible. Scoop only when necessary and use freshly cleaned spatulas. If you pour out too much, instead of throwing the excess away, you might want to store it in a clean, labeled container for your use later.
Solutions
* When mixing acids with water, remember to ADD ACID TO WATER and NEVER WATER TO ACID ! An exception to this .rule is the wafer cleaning solution called "Piranha". This solution is a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Piranha solution is made by adding H2O2 to H2SO4.
* Use appropriate containers for your solutions. Do not use glassware for HF because glass will be etched. Always place fuming containers toward the back of the fume hoods where there is maximum exhaust. If you leave an area with a process in progress, make sure you Clearly Label it with the chemicals involved, your name, the date, time, your expected time of return, where you can be reached (if you will be gone more than 10 minutes). Do not leave chemical processes unattended for more than 10 minutes.
5. Chemical Disposal
When you are through with your process, clean up completely.
Proper disposal procedures:
* Acids, (including piranha) must be diluted and poured down the black acid cup sink; followed by several liters of city water to flush it out of the sink trap further diluting it. Use the bottle marked, Acid Dump and fill it with City Water and pour it down the Acid Drain.
Don't use the DI sprayer for this.
When you use the last of the acid from a bottle, triple rinse it with city water and write on the bottle "3X Rinsed" with a felt pen. Then throw it into the trash can outside Microlab.
NEVER POUR SOLVENTS DOWN THE DRAIN.
NEVER mix solvents with acids - this is a potentially explosive combination!
* Organic solvents, acetone, alcohol, chlorobenzine or TCA (trichloroethane) and photoresist, are never poured down the drain. Solvents are poured into the red 5 gallon solvent waste can. Never pour acid waste into a solvent waste can; because an explosion can result. If you make a mistake and do this, call a supervisor or ECE Faculty listed on the emergency phone list posted by the telephones. Make sure solvent waste cans are not over filled. When the solvent waste can is approaching full, call EOHS at 2-1284 or call Mr. Jones for a solvent waste pick up. The can must be set outside the cleanroom in the hallway. Make sure the bottom of the can isn't wet with solvent when setting it on the tile floor. They pick up only on Mondays.
* You must fill out the Hazardous Waste Manifest Sheet located on the handle of the waste can with the following information:
1. Your name.
2. Material identification and descriptive information (like: Acetone and trace amounts of photo resist AZ 315)
3. Amount of liquid deposited in ( ml ).
Do Not rinse empty solvent bottles. Place them on the floor behind the column with the caps on tight, for the staff to handle.
Collect the solvent from cleaning used pipettes and put this in the red solvent waste can marking on the can’s tag what you deposited. (EXAMPLE: 200ml ACE & photoresist 1818) then place the cleaned used pipette in the pipette bottle below the spinner hood. Cleanup all splatters and drips, you or the person before you made.
* Developers, are placed in used chemical bottles placed on the wire shelves beside the solvent cabinet in the gold room. NEVER put chemicals in a bottle without a clearly marked Yellow Label; which says what the chemical is, date, and name of who labeled the bottle. Always check all the bottles on the shelves for a used bottle with a label for your chemical before starting a new bottle. Use the funnel to add developer to a bottle, cleaning the bottom and sides of the bottle before returning bottle to the shelf. Clean the funnel also. When you fill up a bottle, e-mail me so I’ll know to remove it from the shelves. If there are no new yellow labels on the shelf let me know. Place the yellow label over the manufacturers label so the name of the original chemical can’t be seen. This way everyone knows what is in this bottle.
6. Chemical Exposure
* If you are exposed to chemicals, the first thing you must do is to immediately remove all affected clothing. Flush the affected areas with water for 15 minutes; no less. Use the emergency shower and/or eyewashes as necessary but only for an emergency. Contact a staff member after you have flushed the exposed area with water for 15 minutes.
If exposure occurs in the evening or on a weekend, contact a staff member listed on the Emergency Response Plan posted by the phones. All injuries occurring in the Microlab and major accidents must be reported to the ECE office within 24 hours or on the Monday following weekend.
* Exposure of the eyes requires flushing with water for at least 15 minutes. As a precaution, all chemical exposures to the eye will require a visit to an emergency room for a check up. Contact a staff member as soon as possible for assistance or call 911. If your eyes are exposed to a chemical while working at a wet process station, utilize the DI water deck hose to flush your eyes instead of trying to make your way to the eyewash station in the gowning area. Hold your eyes open and flush continuously for 15 minutes. The DI deck hoses will be your fastest response for such an emergency when working at a wet process station or sink.
* HF burns are particularly hazardous. An insidious aspect of HF burns is that there may not be any discomfort until long after exposure. These burns are extremely serious and may result in bone damage. If you contact HF, flush the area well and be sure to work under and around your finger nails. Finger nails and cuticles are the classic area people receive burns, having washed off the HF without washing under their nails. If washed off within a few minutes of exposure, HF will do little harm. Remember, HF will not produce any burning sensation until after it has already done damage. In the First Aid Cabinet on the wall in the service corridor you will find “Calcium Gluconate Gel” for HF exposure. This is to be applied to affected area after rinsing with water for 10-15 minutes. Read the HF Fact Sheet in the Gold Room.
All HF burns must be looked at by a physician.
First aid for HF burns to skin:
a. Remove contaminated clothing.
b. Flush with cold water for 15 minutes.
c. Apply Calcium Gluconate Gel from the first aid box in the corridor.
d. Then seek medical attention.
e. Report any HF burns to the EE office during work hours or call Jim Jones @
292-2306.
7. Chemical Spills
In the event of a chemical spill, the Microlab has a bucket of "spill pads" and "spill socks" to clean up and contain wet chemicals. These go by the trade name "HAZ-MAT PIG" and are located in the gowning room. The material used in these pillows and blankets is selected for large liquid retention. In the event of a spill, contain the spill with the HAZ-MAT PIG socks, and call lab staff. Chemical spills will be cleaned up by Microlab staff during normal working hours. If you need to clean up a spill after hours or on a weekend, obtain the spill bucket. Use the kit Bucket to hold the contaminated pillows for later disposal.
These kits contain the needed materials to safely cleanup a spill. If the fumes are too strong, warn the others in the lab and exit with them. Call Environmental Health and Safety 2-1284 to get some help. Report all spills to Jim Jones, 2-2306 so he can arrange to have it disposed of.
DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS OBJECT
1. Broken Glassware
Do Not dispose of broken glass in the waste paper cans! Broken glassware must be cleaned before depositing in the pail designed for broken glass disposal. This pail is located in the gowning corridor by the safety shower. Contact a staff member if you need help disposing of broken glass. The pail protects the custodial staff from accidental injury from broken glass.
2. Needles and Razor Blades
Do Not dispose of needles or razor blades in the waste cans! Needles and razor blades should be disposed of in the plastic bottles marked 'SHARPS & BLADES, provided throughout the Microlab under the Fume Hoods. If these plastic containers are full, obtain an empty bottle and label it with a felt pen. Do not dispose of needles or razor blades in the waste cans! Protect the custodial staff from accidental injury.
3. Broken Thermometers
Because of the danger of metallic mercury, broken thermometers should be disposed of as heavy metal waste. Contact a staff member for assistance if you break a mercury thermometer.
COMPRESSED GASES