What should I know about Shipping a Mask to the SHARP team?

We will do everything we reasonably can to help you begin your shift on time. Considering how routine it should be, shipping delays and errors cost us a remarkable amount of lost time and frustration. Please be advised of the following recommendations. Your failure to follow these recommendations may result in unforeseen delays and loss of beamtime. Each of these recommendations is born of sad experience.

Timing

To avoid unnecessary delays and effort, lost measurement time, and stress, please ship your mask to arrive several days in advance of your beamtime. Shipping internationally, give it at least a week of lead time, to avoid problems. This is the single greatest avoidable point of failure.

Mask Pods and Automatic Loading

Masks have to arrive in reticle SMIF pod RSP200. Beginning 2016, SHARP has been upgraded with an automated pod loader for masks and a clean mini-environment for handling. We prefer the mask to be face-down in the pod.

Shipment Tracking

Please send us the package tracking number after shipment, or register Ken to receive updates. IMPORTANT: In all communication about masks, please indicate the mask serial number and/or the mask name in the email and/or comment field of the tracking updates. This will help us to avoid confusion with the many masks that we handle.

International Shipments

If you are shipping internationally, we recommend that you clearly indicate on the package and in the shipping documents:

6-INCH GLASS PLATE. PHOTOMASK.
SAMPLE FOR MEASUREMENT ONLY.
Door to Door DDP.
Temporary Import Only.

If you can label it as “No Commercial Value” then please do so. (We understand if you cannot.) Otherwise, please indicate that this is not a commercial product. For example, a comment could be, “This is a part being measured at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and will be returned without modification, improvement or advancement.”

The “Door to Door DDP” indicates that all relevant duties will be paid by the shipper.

Please be aware that listing an item with a large value, and failing to label it as indicated above, may result in high import duties. It does not happen frequently, but we have had packages incur $5000+ duties, which cause major problems for us. The shipper must ultimately be responsible for all fees and duties.

Your shipping agency should recommend the appropriate US customs codes based on your own experience, and legal advice. We cannot make specific recommendations, for legal reasons. However, we have observed that possible US Harmonized Tariff codes may include the following:

• 8486.90.0000 (Parts and accessories used solely or principally for the manufacture of … semiconductor devices….) [US ITC website].
• 8486.90.9000 (Parts and accessories used solely or principally for the manufacture of … semiconductor devices….) This is not specifically listed on the website, but has been used by other companies to ship masks to LBNL.
• 7006.00.4010 (Glass of heading 7003, 7004 or 7005, bent, edge-worked, engraved, drilled, enameled or otherwise worked, but not framed or fitted with other materials: ….) [US ITC website].

Financial Considerations

Please understand that LBNL will not pay shipping costs due upon receipt, customs charges and duties, import fees, taxes, legal fees, third party broker fees, insurance, handling fees, freight charges, and any other unforeseen expenses associated with shipping a mask to LBNL.

Please make certain that you, the sender, are listed as the financially responsible party. For international shipment, Please make sure that you (not LBNL) are listed as the Importer of Record (IOR).

Fixing problems

We will do the best we can, but have limited staff and resources available to fix the varied, complex, and time-consuming shipping problems that can occur. If your mask is delayed in customs or arrives here with payment due, I apologize in advance. Some circumstances are simply out of our control.

Return Shipping

LBNL will pay for return shipping, to send your mask back to you or your affiliates. We can also store a limited number of member company masks at the SHARP microscope. Please let us know if you have specific requirements for the return shipment, specifically if there are recommended valuations or labeling requirements for customs.

Questions

Should you have any questions, please contact
Markus Benk, MPBenk (at) lbl.gov