1 Echo MBE Bring Up
2 Day 1 - Reinstalling Cooling, Power and Shutter Pneumatics
3 Day 2 - Idling Sources
4 Junk Growth and Standards

Echo MBE Bring Up

This page describes how to bring up Echo immediately following the removal of the last glovebag from the system. Procedure stolen from Bravo MBE Bring Up and adapted by AMG - July 30, 2021.

Keep this page updated as procedures change

Day 1 - Reinstalling Cooling, Power and Shutter Pneumatics

If Boron is on the system, connect its power, water and turn on
undo interlock override for Ga/Al
Reconnect water lines on the machine
1. Uncap any capped lines (9/16" and 1/2" wrenches) and connect the lines that run between cell nipples.
2. Connect the water manifold lines to the machine, but not to the manifold.
3. Check if filter needs changing. If so, see Water Filters procedure page. There shouldn't be a lot of water, but use a dirty bin to catch water from the filter housing. Cell cooling lines have normal water in them.
Plug quick disconnect lines into the water manifold on the ceiling
1. Return first, then supply!
2. Adjust the flow on the water manifold's flow meters to the sharpie lines.
  1. Monitor if water is actually flowing while checking swagelok connections and water line welds for leaks.
3. Check the main return flow meters. Want to see a green light, not red! The cause for a red light is insufficient flow, e.g. 1. flow meters need to be adjusted. We also need to check the Bravo flow interlock light. Also, we might need to pour more water into the chiller.

Empty chiller, fill me!

Use a funnel and the used cell water jugs (distilled water) until there is a nice amount of water visible in the chiller inlet

Full chiller

Remove tape that was used to hold the shutters in place during maintenance
Manually check the full travel of all the shutters and make any needed adjustments to ensure that the shutters can sufficiently open and close when later connected to pneumatic lines. It is also significantly easier to make any major shutter adjustments with the shutter wheel off.
Attach shutter wheel
1. This is a two person job but better with three. One person to attach the wheel and the other two to guide the person.
2. Attach the 4 rods that the shutter wheel to the machine slightly loose (in same previous position to minimize changes needed to make for shutters). This give the rods a slight amount of play, making it much easier to line up the shutter wheel with the 4 rods
3. Make sure the shutter wheel is lined up vertically and lined up with two diametrically opposed rods (e.g. top/bottom or side/side) before pushing the wheel onto the rods
Attach shutter rods, but do not completely attach to shutter. Just barely hook the shutter rods to the shutters.
1. If needed, adjust shutter rod length
  1. One person adjusting rod length and another person watching through a convenient viewport.
  2. Hold the rod next to the nipple on the end of the shutter bellows. Move the rod with the shutter to get a good estimation of how far the shutter is moving and if the rod needs to be adjusted. You might not need to adjust some rods, but others may need significant modification, especially if a cell next to that particular shutter was worked on during the recent maintenance cycle.
  3. The 'closed' position means the shutter is fully closed in the pocket, or at least sufficiently so that it is blocking the crucible and is not running into any side walls
  4. The 'open' position means the shutter is well clear of the cell's crucible as to not block the flux profile
  5. After a rod is adjusted to the correct length, attach the rod to the shutter. Check the travel one final time
Plug in pneumatic serial cable to the shutter wheel
Plug in the pneumatic air supply
Using the shutter control panel or AMBER, actuate each shutter
1. Make sure that each shutter is moving
2. Listen for any 'clinking' or 'scratching' noises which can indicate that a shutter is misaligned and needs further adjustment
3. Check that the shutter speed is correct, i.e. the air supplied to the shutter actuator is correct
  1. To adjust the newer style pneumatic valves: the adjustment pin closer to the center of the shutter wheel regulates opening and the pin farther from the center of the shutter wheel regulates closing. To increase/decrease the opening or closing speed, loosen the larger dial (acts as a set screw) and adjust the smaller dial ccw/cw. Make sure you close down the larger dial after adjusting the smaller dial.
Install KSA Bandit and its fiber optic cable
Connect source flange water (sometimes easier to do before shutter wheel)
1. If needed, change the water filter on the ceiling first. See Water Filters procedure page. There will be lots of water, so use a bucket layered with a trash bag to catch it as it pours out. If you get drenched with water, change your suit ASAP, because the SF water is poison water (water and ethylene glycol).
2. Connect the return line first, then the supply line. When uncapping the return line, there will be some water, so have a bucket to catch it.
3. Open the return valve on the ceiling until the flow meter light on the electronic flow meter changes from green to red.The water will fill the filter. Then you can gradually open the source valve until the flow meter light on the electronic flow meter changes from red to green again.
4. The supply valve will not need to be open all the way to cause the flow meter to show a green light. Still increase the supply valve a bit more to build in a comfortable margin (again, doesn't have to be all the way open).
5. Watch Bravo's source flange pressure and electronic flow meter to make sure it does not trip an interlock. Want both to sit around ~1.6
6. After the Echo water is stable and producing a green light, increase the supply for Echo (recall it was closed down at the start of maintenance because Bravo and Echo share the same line). The supply doesn't need to be open all the way, but just enough to build in a comfortable margin above its "green light" state.
Plug in all source cell power cables
1. Set all the cell temperatures to 10 C in AMBER
2. Make sure all Eurotherms are in manual before starting
3. Only plug in Al Base because of Al creep
4. Connect/pair silver (power) to whiter (thermocouple) and black (power) to black (thermocouople)
5. Plug the power cable first then thermocouples
After all power cables are plugged in
1. Warm up all cells to ~150 C
  1. Do this in manual mode, because lower temperatures can cause the cell to be unstable (e.g. power ramps on and off...)
  2. As cracker with the valve open can be warmed in auto. Close valve manually after stable.
  3. Veeco DD is empty and stable so this can be done in auto as well.
  4. Approximate manual power values:
    1. InBase 5.0% (171 C)
    2. InTip 1.4% (197 C)
    3. GaBase 2.0% (162 C)
    4. GaTip 3.0% (196 C)
    5. AlBase 5.0% (185 C)
    6. BiTip 3.0% (186 C)
    7. BiBase 4.0% (180 C)
    8. AsSub 0% (22)
    9. DDGaTe 1.0% (105 C)
    10. Substrate ~5.0% (~150 C)
    11. TDBe 1.1% (108)
    12. TDSi 1.1% (94)
    13. TDSi 1.1% (112)
  5. Once stable you can put Substrate in auto with a ramp rate of 20 and set it to 200C.
Install RHEED camera
Turn Bandit heated viewport to 4 and RHEED-side heated viewport to 350C.
Wait for cells to stabilize near the 150 C value from before.
Turn on LN2 phase separator in the mezzanine if you closed it at the start of maintenance.
Open supply LN2 line to the cryo panel on the ceiling above the load chamber.
1. Slowly open and pause when it starts to hiss/sing
2. Once the hissing/singing stops (takes 2-3 min), continue to slowly open the valve until you hit a hard stop

Bravo cryo pannel LN2 line valve. Echo's is by fumehood

Day 2 - Idling Sources

Overnight the LN2 should have cooled the chamber such that the pressure will have dropped
Adjust Cell temps to the following values
1. InTip --> 350C
2. GaTip --> 350C
3. BiTip --> 350C (Bi cell and port is currently out of commission as of 2023)
4. DDGaTe --> 350C (removed 12/23)
5. TDBe --> 350C
6. TDSi --> 350C
7. TDGaTe --> 100C
8. Need to manually adjust Al to 350 C. There are lots power fluctuations because of the unmelted Al ingots. Typically ~8% OP is about correct. Double check that the correct Al cell TC cables are mated to the power cable (i.e. base to base) otherwise risk unintentionally melting Al early
Reinstall the As valve motor controller
1. Remove any tape that's still on the valve from the glovebag
2. Slide the motor controller onto the back of the sublimator and attach by using the controller set screws
  Unattached sublimator motor controller
3. Replace the helical coupler set screw if the As valve is slipping -- easy to strip screw head, err on the side of caution. Screw type is 1/4 inch 4/40 with 3/32 inch hex drive located in middle blue cabinet - AMG/AMS
4. Use a 3/32" Allen wrench to tighten the helical coupler axle collar/ring set screw. This locks down the helical coupler so the motor is fully attached
  Attached sublimator motor controller pointing to the helical coupler set screw holding the valve controller to the valve actuator replace this screw if slipping
5. Install power to the back of the motor box. The power cables are marked
6. Rehome the valves using the valve controller box
  1. 'local' + 'home'
  2. 'Manually calibrate?' --> NO!
  3. 'Test full travel?' --> NO!
  4. Change back to remote
Set shutters to remote
Warm up the As sublimator and cracker
1. See recipe in Amber log files on Echo growth computer
2. Before starting make sure:
  1. As valve is rehomed and set to remote
  2. cracker is in auto, sublimator is in manual
  3. Cells temperatures are increased to their low idles, e.g. Ga and In tips to 350 C
  4. Al is in manual and around 350 C or ~8 pct output power
  5. start RGA scan
Load samples for the junk growth and standard quantum wells (QWs) and superlattices (SLs)
After the sublimator and cracker warmup recipe is finished and are stable, you may proceed with the junk growth

Junk Growth and Standards

see the following page for procedures: Echo MBE Junk Growth
find standard QW/SL recipes in logfiles folder on growth computer