Praxair/Iwatani joint venture in Japan

Danbury, CT–In late September, Praxair, Inc. and Iwatani International Corp. (Osaka, Japan) formed a new joint venture, Praxair Iwatani Electronic Gases Co., Ltd. The new joint venture will be dedicated to providing electronics gases, services and systems to the semiconductor manufacturing industry in Japan. Praxair will hold 51 percent ownership in the new venture, which will be headquartered in Tokyo. The Praxair Iwatani joint venture is targeting the environmental concerns of the Japanese semiconductor industry by using environmentally safe technologies, such as Praxair`s recycling system for perfluorinated compounds. The recycling system removes these compounds from the exhaust and purifies them for reuse in manufacturing. In addition, on-site generation of arsine gas from a solid source will be available. Arsine is a toxic gas used in manufacturing, and was previously available in Japan only by importing it as a gas contained in cylinders under high pressure. Praxair Iwatani plans on giving the Japanese manufacturers a supply option for arsine that avoids the hazards of importation.