ATMI Invests in Manufacturing Plant in South Korea

ATMI, a supplier of specialist semiconductor materials, is expanding its focus on the Asia-Pacific microelectronics markets with the construction of a new, US$24 million, manufacturing facility in JangAn, Gyeonggi province, South Korea.

The company celebrated the announcement with a ground-breaking ceremony held at the site, which is expected to be ready for high-volume production in the second half of 2013.

The new 11,000m² (118,360 sq. ft.) facility will manufacture SDS and VAC gas delivery systems and materials for semiconductor and solar ion implant applications.

The plant is expected to employ approximately 100 people and cost around US$24 million to build.

“Our manufacturing investments in South Korea will strengthen our supply chain and improve our interactions with leading customers. Our high productivity development investment will further enhance our ability to partner with our customers in Asia, enabling our local customers and ATMI to work together to solve problems more quickly and comprehensively than before,” said Doug Neugold, ATMI chairman, CEO and president.

“Proximity to our customers enables our teams to collaborate better on defining problems, react quickly as knowledge is gained, and move solutions to production rapidly, bringing operational efficiencies throughout our supply chain.”

ATMI has also completed its fifth global High Productivity Development Centre (and the third in Asia), inside the facilities of the Korea Advanced Nano Fab Centre (KANC) in Suwon.

ATMI’s existing global network of High Productivity Development Centers in Danbury, CT and San Jose, CA (US), Kyoto, Japan and Hsinchu, Taiwan, help customers to identify and validate new chemistry solutions rapidly through quicker learning cycles, saving time and money, and reducing risks.

The new Suwon centre will serve the same purpose and is currently equipped for research, development and applications support of new surface preparation and cleaning chemistries, and deposition materials.

ATMI has future plans to expand R&D capabilities at this location for packaging materials and customized chemical development to support existing customers in the area.

Air Products to Supply UMC's New Fab in Taiwan

Air Products announced that its subsidiary in Taiwan, Air Products San Fu Co. Ltd., has been awarded a long-term contract with United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) to provide nitrogen and other bulk gases to four new phases of UMC's Fab 12A complex in the Tainan Science Industrial Park (TSIP).

Air Products San Fu will build an air separation unit, pipelines and a bulk gas system to supply ultra-high purity (UHP) nitrogen and other bulk gases including oxygen, argon, helium and hydrogen to UMC's Phase Five to Phase Eight of their new 300mm wafer fab in one of Taiwan's largest science parks. The air separation unit is scheduled to be on-stream in the second half of 2013.

The contract further strengthens Air Products' leading market position in TSIP where Air Products San Fu serves its customers through UHP bulk gas facilities and a pipeline that is fed by three of the world's largest UHP nitrogen facilities. Air Products San Fu has been supplying bulk gases to UMC's first four phases of Fab 12A via pipelines in the park.

"UMC is our long-standing strategic customer. We are very pleased to further expand our business relationship and support the continuous growth of its most advanced fab," said Wayne Mitchell, vice president and general manager of Electronics Division at Air Products. "The investment will reinforce our market position in the park and allow us to serve customers with increased reliability and flexibility to meet new volume demand in a quick and cost-effective way."

"We are happy to extend our relationship with Air Products for the next development stage of our Fab 12A complex. Air Products is a leading global industrial gas supplier with proven reliability and safety records. We look forward to the same success we now enjoy in our future cooperation," said Louis Hsieh, Director of UMC's Operations Support Division.

Air Products' customers in TSIP include major semiconductor and TFT-LCD manufacturers. UMC is the world's second largest foundry company and a leading 300mm wafer manufacturer.

TSMC Sets Green Building Milestones

TSMC announced that its Fab 12, Phase 1 and 2 manufacturing facility earned the semiconductor industry's first "Platinum" certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - Existing Building: Operation and Maintenance" (LEED - EB O&M) rating system. This is TSMC's sixth LEED-certified building, and the world's first semiconductor wafer fab to gain LEED Platinum certification. In addition, TSMC's Fab 12, Phase 4 office building has also become Taiwan's first "Diamond" class "Intelligent Green Building" after gaining dual Diamond certifications both as a Green Building and an Intelligent Building from the R.O.C. Ministry of the Interior.

Since 2005, TSMC has pledged to build all new manufacturing facilities and office buildings according to the most up-to-date green building standards. Beginning in June 2011, TSMC extended this commitment to existing buildings, and Fab 12, Phase 1 and 2 was the first to apply for LEED Existing Building certification. Following a 15-month process with 50 building improvements and 17 energy-saving measures, Fab 12 Phase 1 and 2 successfully gained Platinum-class certification, LEED's highest level of certification.

McIlvaine Company

Northfield, IL 60093-2743

Tel: 847-784-0012; Fax: 847-784-0061

E-mail: editor@mcilvainecompany.com

www.mcilvainecompany.com