SACHEM and Avantor™ Announce Agreement to Develop New Selective Etch Materials for Global Semiconductor Market

Austin, Texas & Phillipsburg, New Jersey July 6, 2011  SACHEM, Inc. and Avantor™ Performance Materials have entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) to provide advanced, customized selective etch chemical solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The companies will work together to focus on specialty surface preparation and removal chemistries for thin-film wafer stacks.

The agreement combines SACHEM’s expertise in bulk etchants and surface preparations with Avantor’s experience in photoresist and residue removal technologies.

The first product implemented under the agreement is the new J.T.Baker® SLCT™ 128 sigma etchant for FEOL poly gate structuring, which will be launched at SEMICON West 2011.

Avantor, formerly Mallinckrodt Baker, is a global leader in providing semiconductor surface treatment technologies engineered for complex fabrication challenges as well as cost-effective photoresist stripping and residue removal. The company manufactures and markets high-performance chemistries and materials around the world under several respected brand names, including J.T.Baker®, Macron™, Rankem™ and Diagnova™.

SACHEM (Austin, TX) is a global chemical sciences company delivering highly pure, precise and innovative chemical solutions to customers in key markets including electronics, energy materials, biotechnology, starch modification, polymers, catalysts, pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals. The company’s established electronic product lines include TMAH, Envure System™ and Mobius System®.

Under the agreements, the companies have established a global applications team supported by Avantor’s advanced wafer processing equipment.

“Pursuing selective etch solutions underscores the commitment from both companies to proactively meet customer needs in semiconductor manufacturing, said Avantor’s Director of Marketing, Electronic Materials, John Bubel. “By collaborating on these new technologies, we can combine Avantor’s strong customer-focused applications support, process expertise and global infrastructure with SACHEM’s significant experience in etching chemistries to significantly boost investment in research and development, he said. “We believe this will result in new, customizable solutions to improve device yield and potentially reduce process steps and manufacturing costs for our customers.

“The combination of SACHEM’s background in etchants and surface preparation chemistries with Avantor’s ongoing investment in research, product development and applications resources gives us the strongest partnership to expand the potential for selective etch solutions for emerging sub-22 nm nodes, said President SACHEM Asia, Tom Mooney. “Working together will enable us to bring custom selective etch chemistries like SLCT 128 to market faster and help solve some of today’s most demanding process challenges.

SACHEM and Avantor are developing other selective etch and targeted layer removal solutions with leading semiconductor manufacturers in Asia and the Americas. 

To learn more about SLCT 128 sigma etchant and other selective etch products in development, customers can visit Avantor in booth 1607 at SEMICON West, July 12-14, 2011 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA or contact an Avantor sales representative. 

About Avantor™ Performance Materials formerly Mallinckrodt Baker

Avantor Performance Materials manufactures and markets high-performance chemistries and materials around the world under several respected brand names, including the J.T.Baker®, Macron™, Rankem™ and Diagnova™ brands.

Avantor products are used in a wide range of industries. Our biomedical and life science solutions are used in academic, industry and quality control laboratories for research, pharmaceutical production and medical lab testing, while our electronics solutions are used in the manufacturing of semiconductors, photovoltaic cells and flat panel displays. Based in Phillipsburg, New Jersey (USA), Avantor is owned by an affiliate of New Mountain Capital, LLC. For additional information please visitwww.avantormaterials.com or follow www.twitter.com/avantor_news.

About SACHEM, Inc.

SACHEM, Inc. delivers highly pure, precise and innovative chemical solutions designed to solve the most demanding and challenging applications. For over 50 years SACHEM has provided chemical solutions and services to customers in key markets including electronics, energy materials, biotechnology, starch modification, polymers, catalysts, pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals. Based in Austin, Texas, SACHEM’s expanding worldwide operations include manufacturing and research facilities in North America, Europe and Asia with a global service network and presence spanning 30 countries. Learn more at www.sacheminc.com or follow www.twitter.com/sacheminc.