Linde LienHwa to launch China’s first ultra high-purity ammonia plant for LED manufacturing

XIAMEN, CHINA: Linde LienHwa (LLH) has announced a further strengthening of its commitment to the needs of LED manufacturing with the establishment of an ultra high-purity Ammonia plant in Xiamen City, south-eastern China.

This is the first operating plant in China to produce ultra high-purity Ammonia and will supply customers using world leading technology in purification, packaging and analytical metrology. Linde LienHwa (LLH) is a joint venture between The Linde Group and LienHwa MiTAC Group of Taiwan.

The plant, which has a capacity of 500 tonnes per year, produces high-purity Ammonia at 7N (99.99999 percent) level, helping to increase the supply reliability to customer sites and reduce customers’ manufacturing costs. It is also capable of filling various package sizes, including ISO containers.

Based on the plant’s patented technology, Linde is able to further benefit its clients by establishing an on-site purification system if an extra high volume of ultra high-purity Ammonia is required, as is often the case in the LED industry.

The Chinese LED industry is growing rapidly, with the level of investment during 2009 and the first half of 2010 exceeding that of the past several decades. In 2010 to date, China’s new investments in LED chip-related projects total over RMB 70 billion (EUR 7.5 billion).

During 2010, Linde has been awarded gas supply contracts with six major LED manufacturers in China, including three Taiwan invested LED fabs in Jining, Suzhou and Changzhi respectively, as well as Neo-Neon in Yangzhou, Focus Lighting Technology in Suzhou and Walsin United Technology in Xi’an.

“In 2010 to date, Linde’s investment in support of electronics in China totals more than EUR 50 million,” commented Andrew Lau, president and GM of Linde LienHwa. “Linde LienHwa has achieved some significant customer wins in LED thanks to our proven material supply capability. The new Ammonia plant in Xiamen City further highlights our commitment to serving customers in emerging markets.”

Linde has a long history in the distillation and purification of electronic special gases and has utilised its highly specialised experience to build numerous purification plants.

With its most advanced technology - the patented Y-column distillation and purification system - Linde has built, installed and operated such plants at seven different locations around the world supplying a variety of gases, the latest being the Xiamen plant in FuJian Province, China, which started production in November 2010.