News Article
Linde invests EUR 2.5 million in new manufacturing facility
Manufacturing facility to meet expanding demand for on-site fluorine systems
The Linde Gases Division, part of The Linde Group, today announced the opening of its new manufacturing facility to produce next generation on-site fluorine system equipment in Inju City, South Korea. The newly built facility aims to meet the increasing demand for Linde’s fluorine (F2) technology worldwide.
Microelectronics manufacturers are adopting Linde’s on-site fluorine systems as a more secure supply enabling higher productivity and increased energy-efficiency. Linde’s fluorine generators provide them with an environmentally friendly alternative to greenhouse gas nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and other PFC (Per-Fluoro-Compound) gases for the cleaning of CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition) chambers.
"This EUR 2.5 million investment in the new state-of-the-art fluorine systems facility is essential to support the continuous growth of our Asian customer base. It will also enable us to better serve our global customers with the exceptional quality, innovation and value that they have come to expect from Linde on-site F2 technology," stated Carl Jackson, Head of Fluorine Business for the Linde Gases Division.
Linde’s new 3,700 square-metre facility integrates equipment assembly and chemical processing, while streamlining manufacturing operations. It is adjacent to the existing Linde Fluorine Centre of Excellence, which incorporates Linde’s Fluorine Business Operations Support Centre, Research and Development, Quality Assurance and Customer Training facilities. Both are located close to key customers and suppliers in the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone in Chungnam province, 60km south of Seoul in South Korea. The site also houses a dedicated Linde electronic special gases facility.
The new expansion shows Linde’s ongoing commitment to on-site F2 technology. Research sectors and manufacturers of photovoltaic, semiconductor and TFT-LCD devices have recently ordered Linde’s on-site fluorine technology. “We welcome and fully support the continued investment in on-site F2 technology as it supports our growth plans, particularly in the Korean electronics markets,” said Brett Kimber, President of Linde Korea.
The Linde Generation-F on-site F2 generator has been through extensive third-party safety evaluations. Today, Linde operates over 30 Linde Generation-F systems worldwide to meet the needs of chamber cleaning from semiconductor, display and photovoltaic industries.
The new facility brings to five the number of Linde’s electronics technology centres worldwide. Other facilities are located in San Marcos (California), USA, Alpha (New Jersey), USA, Bielefeld, Germany, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
