Linde has signed a long-term agreement to supply ultra-high-purity industrial gases to the unnamed chipmaker’s manufacturing complex in Phoenix, Arizona. Air separation units produce industrial gases by separating atmospheric air into oxygen, nitrogen and argon. The new plants will use Linde’s SPECTRA technology, which the company says is designed to deliver the purity and operational reliability required for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. “Advanced semiconductor manufacturing depends on the reliable supply of gases at exceptional levels of purity,” said Armando Botello, President Linde Gases, US. The company did not disclose the identity of the customer, but described it as one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers.