Cleanroom suits and power breakers...
Picture this. a cleanroom where integrated circuits are made. A massive multimikllion dollar ion implanter. High voltage, deep vacuum, ion beams, Cry pumps. Magnet power supplies feeding 3000 amperes...
All hanging of a three phase lever switch mounted on the wall. One of those big 'clunk' type rotary levers that are gas-spring operated to shoot the contacts open.
Plant and facilities is called for a small water leak in the service area. The tech goes in and looks at the leak and gets ready to put a small pan underneath while he goes out to get a new piece of teflon tubing to replace. Before crouching down he adjusts his cleanroom bunny suit ( those are uncomfortable if you have to bend over or kneel down. ) while doing so his belt snags at the big power breaker handle.
As he kneels down he feels the snag but it is too late. Ka-lunk : the whole machine goes dark
Vacuum isolation valves lose control pressure and pop open. The 6 meter long beamline sucks in air, pulverizing the poor wafer that sat in the interlock. Ion gauges blow their filaments exposed to the inrushing air. The crypumps lose vacuum and immediately freeze over shattering the traps.
The tech ,scared witless by all the banging and clonking turns around and does the unthinkable...
He grabs the big lever of the switch. and re-engages power to the machine...
...
It took 2 months to overhaul the machine into back up and running.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
