March 15, 2012 — SAFC Hitech, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich Group, opened a multi-million dollar (US) 270000sq.ft. expansion at its facility in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, increasing capacity for high-quality Trimethylgallium (TMG), Triethylgallium (TEG) and Trimethylindium (TMI) precursor production serving high-brightness light-emitting diode (HB-LED) manufacturers.
The site will also produce atomic layer deposition (ALD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) precursors for silicon semiconductor fabs and offer regional transfilling capability and technical service and support. SAFC Hitech will transistion its existing Taiwan operations to the new Kaohsiung facility.
The site hosts integrated inert atmosphere transfilling stations, state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation for the detection of ultra-low metallic and oxygen-containing contaminants and dedicated cylinder preparation and packaging areas. The site is ISO 9001 certified for quality, with ISO 14001 certification for safety and environmental protocols in the works.
Taiwan is "a strategic regional hub" for SAFC Hitech’s ultra-high-purity metal organic and silicon precursors for thin film deposition during micro/optoelectronics production. The rise in demand for LEDs and particularly HB-LEDs is driving increased collaboration with customers in the Asia-Pacific region, said Dr. Geoff Irvine, VP of Marketing and Business Development at SAFC Hitech. The Kaohsiung site can handle and characterize highly specialized laboratory-scale chemicals and features a dedicated customer support center.
Also read: Taiwan’s LED makers’ and packagers’ 2011 results
The site opening ceremony was attended by Kaohsiung City Mayor Chiu Chen, and senior company executives: Rakesh Sachdev, Sigma-Aldrich president and CEO; Gilles Cottier, SAFC president; and Philip Rose, SAFC Hitech president.
SAFC Hitech is a chemistry company serving microelectronics and optoelectronics manufacturing sectors. Further information can be found at http://www.safchitech.com.
SAFC is the custom manufacturing and services business unit of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, a leading Life Science and High Technology company. Internet: www.sigma-aldrich.com.