May 2010 Archives

In the process of setting up a new plasma system for our lab I had to install some gas lines for process gas delivery. This included using the Swagelok® orbital tube welder, which is always fun. For process, or wafer touching gases, we're using stainless steel 316L cleaned using Swagelok® specs for producing ultrahigh-purity (UHP) electro-polished stainless steel products.
Welding is a 4 stage process with a ceriated tungsten electrode under an argon atmosphere to produce a clean metal join. For a couple more pictures go to my gallery.

Another installment from my trip to Portland. The Burnside Skatepark in Portland, OR, one of the top Skateparks in the world, has a cool history: It was built clandestinely by the kids to have a place to skate under the Burnside Bridge. They all chipped in creating a park built by the community. Later on the park was sanctioned by the city. The park and some of the skaters you can see here were also featured in the movie 'Paranoid Park' by Gus Van Sant. It's a pretty good film, you should check it out.
You can find more pictures and video of some amazing skateboarding in my gallery.