Background

Client: Cardiff University’s Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS)

Relationship with Client: AED was chosen as a critical partner for Cardiff University’s £300 million Innovation Campus project, specifically contributing to the design and execution of the Translational Research Hub (TRH). AED’s role was crucial in supporting Cardiff University’s ambition to create a cutting-edge research environment for semiconductor technologies.

The Problem: Cardiff University needed to build state-of-the-art cleanroom and laboratory facilities to support advanced research and industry collaboration in compound semiconductors. This required a highly specialised design to accommodate complex tools, processes, and environmental controls, with significant service integration challenges across multiple stakeholders.

Project Summary

AED’s team was responsible for the design of the ISO 5 and ISO 6 cleanrooms within the TRH, alongside the mechanical, electrical, and process systems to support these highly controlled environments. Our work involved designing 1,400m² of cleanroom space to enable compound semiconductor research, with capabilities for processing up to 200mm wafers.

The project was a large-scale, collaborative effort. AED’s cleanroom, mechanical and electrical designs had to seamlessly integrate with services designed by other partners across the entire facility. This required careful coordination with the main contractor, Bouygues, and meticulous planning to ensure services were interlinked and aligned with Cardiff University’s schedule. Our team also worked on inter-service coordination, managing planning and scheduling to ensure smooth delivery across various contractors.

One of the primary challenges was the extensive service integration, with AED needing to coordinate with several design teams and contractors. This was particularly complex given the tight spatial constraints of the facility and the precision required for vibration isolation to accommodate state-of-the-art E Beam writers and microscopy tools.

Key Achievements / Outcomes

Final Outcome:
AED successfully delivered a world-class cleanroom and laboratory facility that has since become a core asset of Cardiff University’s Innovation Campus. Our design enables research on a range of semiconductor materials with ISO 5 and ISO 6 cleanrooms.