Mar. 18, 2007 – Citing tightening silicon supplies and market/economic conditions, Air Liquide Electronics says it will raise pricing for silane by up to 20% (depending on individual contract terms).
The price hike stems from constrained supplies due to spiking demand in flat-panel display and photovoltaic applications, according to Christophe Fontaine, group VP of electronics for Air Liquide, in a statement. Despite plans to triple silane output by 2010 with new facilities in Japan (per a Mar. 6 press release), “in the short term, the existing silane worldwide merchant capacity will be challenged by high demand, leading to some serious tensions in the supply chain,” he said.