LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., April 3, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --Air Products (NYSE:APD) today announced it had completed the acquisition of DuPont's interest in DuPont Air Products NanoMaterials LLC (DA NanoMaterials), the two companies' 50-50 joint venture serving the global semiconductor and wafer polishing industries. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

DA NanoMaterials manufactures chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries for the semiconductor and wafer polishing industries. Headquartered in Tempe, Ariz., with regional headquarters in Hsinchu County, Taiwan, the company operates state-of-the-art applications and formulation laboratories in Tempe and Taiwan. DA NanoMaterials has established a portfolio of products for copper CMP, tungsten CMP, shallow trench isolation (STI) CMP and wafer polishing applications.

"This acquisition helps broaden our strategy of delivering a portfolio of differentiated offerings to our semiconductor customers," said Wayne Mitchell, vice president and general manager, Electronics, for Air Products. "We will continue to work with our customers to develop new materials and delivery systems for the semiconductor industry that enable next generation devices such as smart phones and tablets."

The current market for CMP and wafer polishing slurries is valued at more than $1 billion and is growing two times as fast as the underlying semiconductor MSI index, which measures millions of square inches of silicon shipped.

The DA NanoMaterials acquisition fits neatly with Air Products' other differentiated materials which serve advanced technology nodes. In addition to the CMP and wafer polishing slurries it will now market, Air Products also offers a line of post-CMP cleaning solutions designed to provide leading edge cleaning performance.

Last year Air Products acquired Poly-Flow Engineering (PFE), an equipment manufacturer in Albuquerque, N.M., that produces a line of CMP delivery and blending equipment for semiconductor manufacturers.

"This unique combination of advanced materials and delivery systems will allow Air Products to continue to develop innovative technical solutions for our customers," said Ed Shober, Director of the Advanced Integration Materials business.

Air Products (NYSE:APD) provides atmospheric, process and specialty gases; performance materials; equipment; and technology. For over 70 years, the company has enabled customers to become more productive, energy efficient and sustainable. More than 18,000 employees in over 40 countries supply innovative solutions to the energy, environment and emerging markets. These include semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, coal gasification, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. In fiscal 2011, Air Products had sales of $10.1 billion. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2011.

SOURCE Air Products