(Archived) Praxair Chemax Wins Bulk Specialty Gas Delivery System Contract from LED Manufacturer in Taiwan

DANBURY, Conn., August 16, 2004 — Praxair Chemax Semiconductor Materials Co. Ltd., a joint venture between Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX), and China Petrochemical Development Corp, has been awarded a contract by Taiwanese light emitting diodes (LED) manufacturer, South Epitaxy Corp. (SEC). The contract will be fulfilled by Praxair Electronics, a division of Praxair, based in Orangeburg, N.Y.  SEC purchased the bulk specialty gas delivery system for its new fab, which is under construction. It is the second bulk specialty gas delivery system award from SEC to Praxair.

"Praxair's offering is designed to meet SEC's requirements for moisture-free NH3 delivered at high and variable flow rates in a safe and reliable manner for the production of ultra-high brightness blue LEDs," said Gordon Chen, president of Praxair Chemax.

About South Epitaxy
A member of the Tainan Group, SEC is located in the Tainan Science-based Park, Taiwan. Founded in 2000, the company focuses on the production of high-brightness LEDs. The company's existing Fab 1 is now fully loaded. A new fab (Fab 2) is under construction and is slated for completion at the end of this year. SEC is a leading supplier of III-V materials for all LED lighting applications, such as electronics backlighting, traffic signals, outdoor displays, and automotive lighting. More information on South Epitaxy is available on the Internet at www.southepi.com.

About Praxair Chemax Semiconductor Materials
Praxair Chemax is headquartered in Jubei, Taiwan, with warehouses, clean room and silane transfill facilities in Toufen. Praxair Chemax offers a complete gas, chemical, and delivery system solution to semiconductor manufacturers. Located near Hsinchu Science Based Park, it provides customers with high-purity gases and safe, reliable specialty gases and gas delivery systems. Praxair Chemax is continuing to expand its product and services portfolio, which includes 6.5 grade ammonia, high-flow bulk ammonia systems, sputtering targets and spare parts and consumables management. The offering provides the semiconductor industry an integrated source for process gases, materials supply and related equipment. More information is available at www.praxair.com/semiconductor.