Air Liquide To Buy Materials Specialist

Air Liquide has agreed to acquire Voltaix, a New Jersey-based electronic materials company. Founded in 1986, Voltaix uses silicon, germanium, and boron chemistry to produce materials used in semiconductors, solar cells, and flat-panel displays. Voltaix, which has about 185 employees, operates three plants in the U.S. and one in South Korea. Earlier investors in Voltaix include Intel, Samsung Ventures, and venture capital firms. Linde, an Air Liquide competitor, is building a disilane plant with Voltaix in Pennsylvania. Air Liquide says Voltaix will complement its Aloha business in organometallic precursors used to deposit thin layers in microelectronic devices.