ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the portion of micronautics that has to do with designing integrated-circuit process equipment to free wafers from defect-causing contamination throughout the semiconductor manufacturing process. It discusses the subjects of clean equipment design and product isolation and protection through the application of a Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF). The chapter presents insights on improvements that need to be made to equipment designs for the semiconductor processing equipment market. Because major shifts in any technology take some time to be absorbed and to allow for careful management of change, SMIF was first used in an existing cleanroom where the cleanroom filters provided a "safety net" for the "early explorers." The chapter concludes that micronautics must draw together the many and diverse branches of physics, chemistry, and engineering that will contribute to microcontamination control.
