In a global Silane (SiH4) market growing at more than 25% per year, Air Liquide (AL) is today the world leader with more than 35% market share. AL has been producing ultra pure silane since 1987, in association with the Denka Group through Denal, its joint-venture company in Japan.
Following the expansion in capacity to over 500 tons per year of Ultra Pure Silane in Omi, Japan, announced last year, AL and Denka recently have decided to launch a new large initiative with the construction of a world scale unit in Japan to meet the growing demand of the market.
With this additional silane unit, AL’s total manufacturing capacity will more than triple with extension-ready capability to 2,000 tons per year in a further step.
The unit will be operational by 2010, and will reinforce AL’s leadership for this product in Japan, throughout Asia, and the rest of the world. AL, the only gas supplier to manufacture silane, is also strengthening its distribution and service capabilities worldwide with the opening of three new Electronics Materials Centers this year in Japan, Taiwan, and China together with investment in many containers for its distribution fleet.
