Protofab Rules
Summary
While working in the OASIS Prototyping facility, Protofab, you are surrounded by electro-mechanical systems, gases and chemicals. It is impossible to define a policy for every conceivable situation.
The responsibility lies with users and staff to act in a professional, courteous, and safe manner at all times while in the facility. The Protofab culture relies on self-discipline to follow policies, respect for each other, and careful considerate treatment of facility property that is needed for project success. Everyone’s work is equally important and the basic rule of treating others how you would like to be treated sets the framework for many policies in the facility. As a group we expect all users and staff to help maintain the safety and integrity of the Protofab. All users should employ common sense and a high degree of prudence while working in this facility. Users violating the operating and safety rules of the facility or endangering the safety of themselves or other users may be denied further access to the facility.
This document attempts to define acceptable actions and behavior for the users of the Protofab and contains extensive safety related information on work practices and procedures within the facility.
General Protofab Information
Orientation and Initial Training: All new users must take the initial fundamentals of laboratory safety course offered through the UC learning center. There are mandatory general orientation and training that is required. Contact the facility manager to request access.
Access: Is 24/7. However, the OASIS building is electronically locked all the time. Users will receive a FOB for entry and will be signed up on Card Access System. Always scan in when entering the facility and scan out when exiting, when attending training sessions or performing beneficial work. Visitors are exempt from this rule. Violation of this policy will result in suspension. This policy is both for safety (knowing who is in the lab in case of emergencies) and for fair, accurate billing of facility resources.
Visitor Policy
● Badges: Visitor badges can be obtained from the staff during the normal weekday hours which removes any confusion about the shadowing of another user without logging in. As a nonpaying person, a visitor can’t touch any equipment or computer. We offer this policy as a courtesy so please do not abuse it as it can also be removed.
● Shadowing: We encourage new users to shadow current users as visitors to become familiar with the Protofab before beginning actual work. To accomplish this, registered users may come in as visitors, with a badge, to observe and learn how processes are done. A logged-in user and visitor may not exchange roles while in the cleanroom together. Only the actively logged-in user may operate/touch/use any equipment in the laboratory. No exceptions.
● Visiting Professionals: Non-registered visitors such as research collaborators or new students in a research group can be brought into the facility to observe with the permission of staff during normal operating hours (8am-5pm M-F). Off-hours permission to bring in professional visitors will be evaluated on request by the management.
● Groups: Any “group” tour (3 or more people) inside the facility needs prior approval of the management. Please allocate ample time when requesting.
● Violations: The Protofab relies on the honor system and the visitor “observation only” policy is clear. If users are caught violating the visitor policy and operating anything in the facility while being a visitor, there will be corrective action for both the official user host and the visitor.
Lab storage of User-Specific Materials: All Protofab storage shelf space and the blue containers are controlled by the facility. It is not open-use and is assigned by group or company. Please contact the management about new or additional shelf space. There is a finite shelf space so please first check within your own group to make sure shelf space is optimized and old users’ boxes have been removed or re-assigned before contacting us.
● Please do not use any other boxes on the shelves except for the blue bins provided by the Protofab.
● If boxes are left out or stored on the wrong shelves they will be removed from the lab.
● Additionally, Protofab is not a long-term storage facility, and users should regularly review what they and their groups are storing in the lab so that items no longer needed can be removed to make room for others that may need the space.
A user’s job in the facility is not complete until all user-specific materials have been cleaned up and put away. Storage boxes found without the user being in the lab the following day will be removed from the lab and stored in a secure location. Users will need to contact a staff member to retrieve boxes. There will be a charged fee of 30 minutes of staff time for each incident, and this will be noted on the invoice. For continued violations there will be an escalation of consequences:
| Violation
(in a year) |
Corrective Action |
|---|---|
| 1st | Verbal Citation |
| 2nd | Fee |
| 3rd | Fee and warning of impending suspension |
| 4th | Fee, 1-day suspension and supervisor notification |
| 5th | Fee, 3-day suspension and personal discussion |
While it does not happen often and we do not want to prevent users from completing their work we have found that suspensions from the lab are sometimes necessary and must be taken seriously. The lab relies on an honor system as staff can’t always be there to maintain compliance.
Training within your group/company: There are two ways to train a new user either you log in and take the user as visitor (must follow the policy) or the new user will log in, operate the systems under your verbal guidance. The former is preferred. Final authorization for independent use can only be given through staff-approved training on the equipment.
User responsibilities regarding housekeeping
● Return the equipment to their initial state. Follow the SOP as equipment may not need to be turned off.
● Do not leave material with a short pot life outside. Return them to the freezer or fridge.
● Leave all workspaces clean and organized. Clean the spills using cloths and IPA.
● IPA (or other solvent) soaked wipes should be discarded in dedicated trash bins.
● Discard empty material containers (e.g., epoxy syringes) to designated trash bins.
● Discard sharp objects in “Sharps Bin”.
● Wet bench: Do not cover the exhaust holes. Glassware may be left to dry on the racks.
Preparing Equipment for entry into the Protofab: Small/large equipment, laptops and tablets can be taken into the facility as long as they are clean. If not, they can be vacuumed cleaned and wiped with IPA.
Security Cameras
Human and equipment safety is very important in the Protofab which uses a 24-hour camera recording system and stores up to 14 days of footage. The footage may also be used when violations of safety and policy are reported by users. Users observed to be violating policies on the recordings will be contacted by the management for further discussions. In addition, randomized footage review will also be used to assess user safety and adherence to procedures.
Storage: Dry-Box/Desiccator
There is a large desiccator in the facility for WIP (Work in Progress). Users can store any sensitive materials in the desiccator. It will need to have group identification, user contact info and date on each container. Each user/group must clean out old or unused material. Occasionally the staff will announce and clean out the cabinet of outdated materials. This unit is NOT for long term storage of materials, but for components being actively processed in the facility.
Facility Equipment
Getting Trained on Equipment
Contact the facility management or tool owner via ProtoWiki Staff or “signupmonkey” (described later) for training which is on an as-needed basis. System has SOP as reference, but users must take notes and pay attention to the instructions. There are User’s Manual, procedure and recipes on tools’ Wiki Page as well. If unsure about an aspect of system operation, ask the tool owner, management or a senior user for assistance.
Machine sign-up and usage
Systems and equipment require web-based signup (http://signupmonkey.ece.ucsb.edu) which requires prior training and authorization to use. Rules and notes regarding usage:
● There is a 15-minute grace period for you to use your time slot or someone else is allowed to use the system. If you don’t show for your time slot then any user can take all your consecutive time slots not just that specific slot. It is the registered user's responsibility to make sure there is a note at the tool if they will show up later than 15 minutes before the beginning of their time slot in order to prevent another user from taking the reservation times for themselves on the system.
● If you show up to a system and the scheduled user is not there, but you want to use the system, you need to first attempt to contact the user. Phone numbers and emails are accessible on signupmonkey. You should also look around the lab to see if the person is present as they may be doing something like inspection or measurement that requires them to step away from the system for short times. Only after making reasonable effort to contact the user may you take the slots at the 15-minute mark after the start of the reservation. If you take the time slots, please press the "Did Not Show" button on the appropriate time slot in the signup system.
● Schedule enough time for all procedures you need to perform so that you will not encroach on the next user’s time slot. Include all pre and post preps.
Machine Error Reporting
To report a system issue, go to the signup system and press the “Report Tool Issue” button. This will send emails to the users and text messages to the tool supervisors. After pressing this button, you may directly contact the person responsible. Contact information for each responsible staff is found directly above the tool, on signupmonkey, or on the wiki page. There is also a general mail list, protofab-staff@oasis.ucsb.edu to all staff for general questions or problems and for reporting issues with systems that may not be on signupmonkey.
Equipment Maintenance
● All equipment is maintained by the professional staff. Users are not allowed to remove panels or alter subsystems within the machine unless directed to by staff.
● Preventive maintenance is done regularly on most tools to “reset” the tool to acceptable performance levels. If you believe a tool is not performing properly, please contact the responsible staff to discuss the problem.
Visible and Audible Alarms in the Protofab
Fire Alarm
A fire alarm is indicated by a white strobe light marked fire and sound off with a high-volume audible alarm. These are located throughout the Protofab ceiling. If this alarm activates, immediately leave the Protofab through the nearest exit and proceed to exit the building. Do not take care of your samples, do not keep working in any way, and do not remove your lab coat until you are outside the building.
Users may re-enter the facility after an evacuation condition only after the facility manager has authorized re-entry.
Equipment Alarm
Please notify supervisor of tool if equipment alarm is activated using phone, personal email, or protofab-staff@oasis.ucsb.edu
Emergency and First Aid
Personal Injury
For serious injuries, visit the emergency room at Goleta Valley Hospital located at:
351 South Patterson Avenue Goleta Valley, Santa Barbara, CA 93111
For minor injuries, use the first aid kits available in the facility as well as OASIS building (cafeteria).
Eye Wash and Showers
Eye Wash station (wall mount) is located inside the facility and showers are located at the south side restrooms.
Chemical Spills
● If unsure, always assume a liquid on the floor could be a hazardous chemical.
● For small spills of solvents (e.g., IPA) or packaging material (e.g., epoxy, RTV or TIM), use the appropriate chemical spill clean-up kit, yellow hazardous bag and EH&S tags. After using a spill cleanup kit, please inform the Protofab staff.
● For large spills, more than 1 liter (0.3 gallons or 1 quart or 34 oz), immediately contact the Protofab staff and evacuate people. If off hours, please remain at entrance until on-call staff arrive and prevent users from entering the facility.
AED (Automated External Defibrillator)
There is an AED (automated external defibrillator) in the hallway at south entry doors. It is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. This type of heart condition is commonly caused by electrical shock.
Fire
In the case that a lab fire arises at any equipment or workbench, immediately hit the Emergency Power Off (EPO) button for the equipment. You may then grab a fire extinguisher and put out the small fire using existing fire extinguishers in the facility.[1] You are not required to extinguish a fire, but if you are confident and have been trained in the use of a fire extinguisher, then it is a subjective decision to fight a small fire. If in doubt, hit the emergency off for the affected equipment, immediately pull fire alarm and exit building. Please review the OASIS prototyping facility safety equipment.
Location of Facility Emergency and Safety Items
File:Floor Plan-Emergency Locations-Rev1.png
OASIS Facility Evacuation Routes
After hour emergency
Contact the Protofab cellphone for non-injury producing events but not for simple equipment failures or issues. The number is posted on the facility wall. Dial 911 for life threatening emergencies. Please review the OASIS prototyping facility evacuation map below.
Pregnancy and the Protofab
The Protofab is designed to prevent exposure to the fumes and vapors from harmful chemicals, but absolute 100% containment is impossible, and it is possible to be exposed to extremely small concentrations of these materials. Consequently, we strongly recommend that you consult medical professionals prior to working in the facility.
Chemicals in Protofab
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS/SDS)
The SDS contains safety information regarding exposure, first aid, handling, storage, fire hazard, other chemical incompatibilities, etc., for all chemicals, gases, and materials present in the facility. Before using an unfamiliar material, consult the SDS to determine any potential hazards. Consult the SDS to determine the proper course of action if someone has been exposed to a gas or chemical, or a spill has occurred. Binders containing the SDS for any material are available inside, on wall mounts. Additionally, an electronic version of the (M)SDS in .pdf format for all chemicals in our inventory is located on our wiki page. Quick google searches on internet connected devices can also bring up SDS’s rather quickly.
New Material Bring-In
All chemicals, compounds and gases must be approved by the Protofab manager before introduction into the facility. To introduce new material into the facility, an SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for the material must be submitted to the facility management along with any anticipated processes involving the new material.
General Rules and Notes on Chemicals
● If you are approved to bring in new material, the facility manager will instruct you where to store the material.
● Chemical containers must be labeled with content, date and ownership. Use the label printer.
● Do not transport open containers from station to station.
● Use the fume hood to transfer material into smaller bottles.
● There are freezer (<-40°) and fridge (~5°) to sensitive material.
● Contact facility management for collection of chemical waste or disposing of empty bottles.
Protofab Apparel Rules and Notes
● A lab coat, shoe cover (both ESD safe) and hair cap is mandatory.
● Eye protection (ANSI-approved, Z87) must be always worn. Protofab provides two types for people who wear vision correction or do not. Personal prescription eyewear, as long as ANSI-approved, is fine.
● Facial masks are optional.
● Sandals or open toe shoes are not allowed.
● Shorts are allowed but long pants are recommended.
● Store gowns and on the numbered hangers.
● Change weekly if used often or as needed. There is a laundry basket for all dirty gowns. Shoe covers and hair caps should be trashed.
● Latex and Nitrile gloves are available to protect parts from contamination by skin.
Communications, Online Tools and Access
The basic approach to lab communications is that the Protofab staff/management must be able to contact every user of the lab. Our system will automatically remove the user if the email bounces. Make sure the contact info is correct and up to date.
Process Equipment Scheduling
Most of the processing tools in the Protofab are scheduled through a web-based equipment scheduling system known as “signupmonkey”. Anyone with access can view the site, but only users who have completed training on a tool will be able to schedule use of that tool. The site address is: http://signupmonkey.ece.ucsb.edu. Once you have been trained by the specific staff engineer in charge of a system then you will be able to reserve time on the tool through signupmonkey. There is more information about the it on Nanofab wiki page: https://wiki.nanotech.ucsb.edu/w/index.php?title=Main_Page. Users must sign up for all tools on signupmonkey before use. The only exception is when another user did not show up for their time slot. Script writing for toll sign-up is forbidden.
Data Storage in the Protofab
Files can be downloaded through SFTP server, Protofiles. As long as you place your files into the proper folder on the computer, your files will be synced to the Protofiles STFP server every hour (or immediately by running the "Sync to Protofiles" script).
For instructions on how to access these files, and where to place your files, please log into your SignupMonkey account and click the “here” link under Files on the front page as shown below. The email you receive will give you instructions on accessing/syncing to the Protofiles server.
Global Protofab Email List
All Protofab users will be entered into our protofab-users@oasis.ucsb.edu mail list. This is how the Protofab staff/management will communicate with all users of the lab. It is critical and required that you read all these emails as there will be important updates/announcements about lab policy, lab closures and any major lab events occurring. You must check with your IT people to make sure these emails are allowed and not placed in spam or denied from your emails. It is mandatory you receive and read all these emails.
Contact Protofab Staff
You can contact staff through their individual email addresses or phones numbers. Or you can send an email to Protofab-staff@oasis.ucsb.edu which will contact all Protofab staff. The appropriate staff will answer your email request.
Wireless Access in the Protofab
● UCSB Secure and Eduroam, which everyone with a UCSBNetID can access.
● OASIS Guest network is also available in the facility as well as the building.
Personal Electronic Devices
● Cellphones, laptops and other personal communication devices are allowed in the facility.
● Electronics hearing devices (headphones or earbuds) are allowed in the facility but make sure you can still hear ambient voices and signals.