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West Chester, PA, February 28, 2011— Sales increased dramatically for Johnson Matthey’s
advanced PureGuardTM hydrogen purifiers in 2010, thanks largely to
continuing rapid growth of LED production in Taiwan and China.
Johnson Matthey, a global
leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of hydrogen purifiers, has
shipped its purifiers to new and expanding fabs for sensitive semiconductor
applications, including MOCVD processes for LED production, crystal growth and
PV deposition processes.
Johnson
Matthey's state-of-the-art PSH Series bulk hydrogen purifiers are capable of
providing 99.9999999% pure hydrogen for wafer fabrication.The HP Series
purifier product line is the most popular since this technology provides the
purest hydrogen.
Stuart Bestrom, Sales
Manager for Johnson Matthey’s Gas Purification Technology (GPT) group, said the
company is committed to supporting the growth of the global electronics
industry, especially in Asia, the area of greatest expansion for LED
production.
Bestrom
said, in China for example, Johnson
Matthey has supplied purifiers to two major high-tech manufacturers, one
focusing on the development and large-scale production of ultra-high brightness
red, orange and yellow LED epitaxy and chips, light communication components and
other optoelectronic devices.
He
said another large Chinese customer purchased several Johnson Matthey Model
PSH-60 purifiers capable of hydrogen flows of 60 Nm3/hr. This manufacturer of
full color LEDs designs, develops, makes and distributes full-color ultra-high
brightness LEDs, epitaxial wafers, photo-diode detectors and compound solar
cells with an annual throughput of 550,000 epi-wafers and 16B
LEDs.
Johnson
Matthey is seeing similar success in Taiwan, Bestrom noted. Among the major
customers who have purchased several Model PSH-60 purifiers is a leading maker
of pure-play, high power InGaN LED wafers and chips, and the only one in Taiwan
offering a full spectrum of products including high power InGaN blue, green and
near-UV LEDs. Another is using Johnson Matthey purifiers to supply ultrapure
hydrogen to its growing number of high throughput MOCVD tools. This leading Asian manufacturer recently
added 34 new MOCVD tools
China is strengthening its
position as a major global manufacturer of LEDs, according to Global Sources, a leading
business-to-business media company and primary facilitator of trade with China
companies. In recent months several leading international suppliers have
invested in the construction of factories in the Pearl, Yangtze and Minjiang
River delta regions, Bohai Rim Economic Region, and even in some parts of Middle
Western China.
With global demand for LEDs
outpacing yield, said Global Sources,
manufacturers are looking to expand production capacity to curtail a looming
deficit in supply. The growing popularity of LED-backlit LCD TVs is expected to
exacerbate the shortage. Each LCD panel for TVs generally requires between 300
and 500 LEDs with a uniform level of brightness. Laptops require only about
50.
“China will become important
to the global LED industry this year,” said Zheng Haowen, director of the
National High-Tech Enterprise Development LED Professional Committee. “The total
foreign investment for the sector is projected to exceed 60 billion Yuan ($8.8
billion), a phenomenal increase from about 10 billion Yuan ($1.5 billion) in
2009.”
Bestrom said that in 2010,
China reportedly added more than 1200 MOCVD systems, a number that reflects the
“extraordinary prosperity” of the country’s LED industry. The main motives
encouraging such LED growth, he continued, are the subsidy policies of the
Chinese government and the huge prospects for the LED
market.
In Taiwan, total
LED production value reached $5.43 billion last year according to the country’s
Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association (PIDA). PIDA said
with the continued expansion of the LED application market, the annual growth
rate is predicted to be 40 percent this year and also 40 percent in 2012,
reaching $11.3 billion.
Last
year, reported PIDA, Taiwan was the number-one-ranked country in the world in
terms of the production output of LED wafers and chips, with sales of just below
$2 billion. InGaN LEDs comprise 52 percent of the production value; the market
for packaged LEDs was slightly less than $3 billion. The LED lighting segment in
Taiwan is expected to grow rapidly in the next two years.
According to Bestrom,
Johnson Matthey’s palladium membrane technology is preferred by PV and
semiconductor fabs for use with the compressed hydrogen supply common in Asia
and particularly in China. “Compressed gas source contains higher levels of
impurities and varying quality, and our palladium membrane technology offers the
best capability to remove all oxygen and carbon impurities to parts-per-billion
levels, with no effect from input impurities. These impurities must be
consistently removed to assure the brightest LED’s. Our success in 2010 reflects
not only the acceptance of our leading-edge technology, but also our ability to
be able to meet the heavy demand for purifiers in LED wafer and chip
facilities.”
About Johnson Matthey Gas Purification
Technology:
Backed by a
reputation for technological expertise and customer service--and having
installed over 5,000 gas purification units around the world--the company is a
global leader in the design, engineering, manufacture and distribution of
state-of-the-art purification systems for gases used in the PV and semiconductor
industry. The Johnson Matthey Gas Purification Technology group maintains
locations in North America, England, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea,
Singapore, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong.
Contact
Information:
For Media: Please contact
Allen Solovitz, Phone:609-823-1247; E-mail: perceptmkt@comcast.net.
For further
information: Please contact Stuart Bestrom, Sales Manager, Johnson Matthey Gas
Purification Technology, 1397 King Road, West Chester, PA 19380; Phone: (805)
937-4502 or (800) 624-2204; Fax: (610) 232-1934; E-mail: bestrs@jmusa.com; Web
site: http://www.pureguard.net; Follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/pureguard.
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