(Archived) Praxair Electronics Opens New Advanced Components Manufacturing Facility in Poughkeepsie, New York

DANBURY, Conn., September 21, 2005 — Praxair Electronics, a division of Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX), in Orangeburg, NY, announced the opening of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Poughkeepsie, New York. The 45,000 square foot facility went into full production in August, focuses on design and manufacturing of electrostatic chucks (ESC). ESCs are used to hold silicon wafers in vacuum chambers for a wide range of semiconductor processing equipment.

"This facility adds to our global infrastructure enabling Praxair Electronics to support original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with design, fabrication and testing of a variety of ESC products. It has unparalleled materials science capability, technology development and manufacturing support, to meet the needs of current and next-generation applications," states Ray Roberge, president of Praxair Electronics.

"One of the many benefits of the new facility is an improved, newly designed production floor layout," states Craig Broman, plant manager. "The facility has state-of-the-art equipment, which has been installed to improve efficiencies, reduce cycle times, and increase product throughput. Customers will benefit from having R&D prototypes qualified and put into production in one location, lowering their overall cost of development."

Praxair Electronics designs, engineers, prototypes, manufactures and supplies ESCs and critical chamber components for semiconductor processing equipment. ESCs are used in etch, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) tools, ion implanters, UV metrology and process control tools. Chamber components include chamber kits, gas dispersion plates, chamber and liner electrodes, gas rings, and baffles.

About Praxair Electronics
Praxair Electronics creates value for OEMs and fabs with its unique combination of ceramic powders technology, thermal coating technology, high-performance ceramic materials and its coating processes to improve tool performance and to reduce the cost of ownership. Praxair Electronics integrates its gas technology with material science to offer process consumables and fab infrastructure systems and services to semiconductor manufactures, including a full line of gases and materials, sputtering targets, CMP slurries and on-site services. In 2004, Praxair’s sales to the global electronics industry were $480 million. More information on Praxair Electronics is available on the Internet at: www.praxair.com/electronics.

About Praxair, Inc.
Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2004 sales of $6.6 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric and process gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies bring productivity and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others. More information is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com.