Nov 1 2007
Air Products, through its subsidiary Air Products San Fu Co Ltd in Taiwan, has signed a long-term contract with Rexchip Semiconductor Corporation, a joint venture company between Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation and Elpida Memory Inc., for the supply of nitrogen and bulk gases. The gases will be supplied to Rexchip’s two new 12-inch fabrication facilities (Fab R1 and R2), which are under construction in Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) in Houli, Taichung.
Under this contract, Air Products will build, own and operate two new nitrogen air separation plants in the CTSP.
Rexchip is a new joint venture company between Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation and Elpida Memory Inc. to operate DRAM fabrication facilities in Central Taiwan Science Park with a total planned capacity of 240,000 12” wafers per month, making the Rexchip Houli site the largest concentration of 12” DRAM fabrication facilities in the world.
The CTSP, which includes Taichung, Houli and Huwei park stations, is one of the two new government-sponsored science parks in Taiwan to attract investments and the development of high-tech industries to the central Taiwan district.
“This contract reinforces the partnership we have forged with Powerchip over the years. It also demonstrates our commitment to focus on what our customers value the most,” said David Price, regional vice president and general manager of Asia Electronics, Air Products. “Our new investment also enables us to establish a strong position in the CTSP, which is set to be another cluster of high tech industries.”
The memory segment of the semiconductor industry is forecast to grow by up to 20 percent annually over the next five years. The strong growth in demand of memory chips is being driven by new applications in mobile communications, automobiles, game systems, portable multimedia players and personal computer operating systems.
One of the two new nitrogen plants in the CTSP will be the seventh of its kind in Asia, which is based on Air Products’ high efficiency design that delivers reliable and cost-effective nitrogen to customers in the electronics sector and other industries around the world.