“We are even more well-positioned to address reclaim growth as the No. 1 reclaimer in the U.S,” he said.
Officials with Pure Wafer Inc. in Prescott have reacted to that increasing need by expanding their company through the purchase of Noel Technologies. Pure Wafer is the nation’s largest U.S.-based supplier of silicon wafer solutions and services to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry.
- Mark Borowicz, CEO of Pure Wafer, which owns its 44,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Prescott, told Quad Cities Business News of the Nov. 16 acquisition of the Silicon Valley-based company.
He said the investment will let Pure Wafer expand and provide even further value to its customer base of 1,600 Integrated device manufacturers (IDMs} and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Pure Wafer has clients throughout the U.S., Asia, Middle East and Europe.
Located in San Jose, California, Noel Technologies is in the same city where Pure Wafer operates another fabrication plant similar to the one in Prescott.
Borowicz explained that because of processes provided by Noel Technologies, Pure Wafer can now leverage its several unique strengths to new growth applications such as wafers deposited with thin films, wafer standards, opto-acoustic micro-phones, flexible electronics, micro-array mirrors and Lab to Fab approach.
“We are even more well-positioned to address reclaim growth as the No. 1 reclaimer in the U.S,” he said.
A recent report based on information supported by the Arizona Office of the Governor indicated that as a state, Arizona was leading the nation in economic and workforce development programs. Arizona has emerged as the No.1 place for new semiconductor investments. It recently was dubbed “U.S. Semiconductor Central.”
Ardy Sidhwa, Pure Wafer vice president of operations, said that the company will expand its production of premium grade silicon wafers, ranging from 50mm to 300mm. “For more than 20 years, the company has invested in advancing technologies that established it as a trusted source for silicon wafer solutions for OEMs and IDMs,” he said.
The semiconductor industry is now a $500 billion industry worldwide. The Prescott plant employs more than 125 people and is constantly seeking new qualified employees. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Sidhwa said the original Prescott wafer plant was founded in 1998 and operated independently until it was acquired by Pure Wafer in 2007. It is located at 2575 Melville Road, east of the Prescott Regional Airport (PRC).
The executives noted that adding Noel Technologies will bring these values to customers:
- Expand the product portfolio through multi-layer and single-layer processes;
- Provide customers with a domestic source for high-volume blanket thin-film coatings capacity;
- Further addraess non-semiconductor markets with exotic dielectric and metal films;
- Provide core process and design optimization capabilities.
“We are thrilled to support Mark and his world-class management team as Pure Wafer penetrates new markets and continues to execute its growth strategy,” said Pure Wafer Board Chair Bob Girton. “We welcome the Noel team to the Pure Wafer family. We are excited to continue to invest to grow the service offering and to enhance the customer experience.” QCBN
By Ray Newton, QCBN
For more information, visit purewafer.com.