DPR Transforms Cold Shell into One-of-a-Kind Wafer Probe-Card-Manufacturing Facility in 10 Short Months

As part of an ever-changing, technically complex industry, FormFactor, Inc., a leader in the design, development, manufacture, sale and support of high-performance advanced semiconductor wafer probe cards, looked to an equally technically savvy builder to handle the first renovation on the company’s new Livermore, CA, campus. Awarded the job in 2003, DPR, whose experience in advanced technology projects includes the likes of Motorola, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems and Etec Systems, recently completed the transformation of a 38,000-sq.-ft. building into one of the most advanced wafer-probecard-manufacturing facilities.

Founded in 1993, FormFactor established its headquarters, research and development, and manufacturing operations in Livermore in 1995. When looking for space to grow, the company chose to remain in the Bay Area, settling on a nearby set of buildings to develop into its new campus. The Building Three manufacturing facility, which now houses more than 200 production tools, will allow for expansion of FormFactor’s manufacturing and production capacity of the wafer probe cards the company supplies to its customers around the world.

Advanced Thinking

To accommodate the progressive nature of the semiconductor industry, the building’s design was constantly modified to ensure that the most advanced tools were being implemented, and flexible elements, such as the flooring, piping, and metal-panel walls, which allow for future technological advances, were incorporated.

“When planning for FormFactor, we knew we’d have to keep the schedule somewhat fluid to accommodate design changes throughout the project to ensure that only the latest and best products and tools were installed into the facility,” explained Rishard Bitbaba, DPR project manager. “At the same time, we maintained an aggressive 10-month timeframe, fast-tracking construction like most semiconductor facility projects. However, we also delivered Phase 1 a day ahead of schedule with zero defects, and on August 23—the day the project was turned over to the owner—there were no outstanding change orders.”

Bitbaba attributed the team’s accomplishments to “sticking to the basics.” Fundamental DPR practices, such as an early Rolling Completion List and once-a-week job walks that help the owner see firsthand how items fit, look and work together, allowed the team to address issues and discrepancies during the course of the project rather than at the end.

Starting with an empty, cold-shell building also meant that the DPR team had to perform structural upgrades to the building’s roof to support six new make-up air units necessary for a manufacturing facility. Alongside the building, DPR built a back service pad for the central utility plant, which includes chilled water, condenser water, boiler and emergency generator. In total, the Building Three project involved work on 24,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space, as well as 14,000 sq. ft. of tenant improvements.

Clean Building

Building Three also features both Class 100 and Class 1000 production suites, making it one of the cleanest manufacturing facilities in the area. To incorporate cleanroom access flooring, a raised-flooring system consisting of solid or perforated panels that air flows through before being exhausted into a sub-floor area, the team removed half of the building’s slab and depressed it two feet. To further help meet cleanroom specifications, DPR installed 112 High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) plenums and 60 recirculation units in the facility.

“As an industry leader in construction of semiconductor manufacturing facilities, DPR has built more than two million square feet of cleanroom space and has developed extensive quality procedures, especially around clean building protocols,” said Bitbaba. “Teamwork is a must to every project, but in this case, with the design evolving as we built, teamwork and communication were especially important. As the project moved along, people grew more excited about our weekly meetings—they looked forward to going and sharing findings. I think the project’s overall success is a direct result of the team approach we take,” said Bitbaba.