BOC Edwards Installs Innovative ERIX Water Treatment System at UAlbany Nanocollege's Albany Nanotech Complex; ERIX Recycles Scrubber Water and Improves Efficiency of Back-Pad Treatment Facilities.

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- BOC Edwards (LSE:BOC), a leading supplier of vacuum, abatement, chemical management equipment and services to the world's semiconductor OEMs and fabs, announced today that it has successfully installed its innovative ERIX wastewater treatment system at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University of Albany's, Albany NanoTech complex in New York . The installation is part of BOC Edwards' ERIX system development program. The ERIX system will be available to the market in the first half of 2007.

ERIX (Electrochemically Regenerated Ion Exchange) recovers 90 percent of point-of-use (POU) scrubber water, reducing water consumption and concentrating the hydrofluoric acid (HF) in the effluent sent to back-pad precipitation facilities.

"This is an important step in our development program for ERIX," said Nigel Hunton, director, semiconductor equipment, BOC Edwards. "It will give us real world experience in a facility developing state of the art processes for the 45nm technology node and beyond. "

"The UAlbany NanoCollege is committed to promoting world-class education and research that is designed to support and advance the nanoelectronics industry," said Dr. James G. Ryan, professor of nanoscience and vice president of technology at CNSE. "We are pleased that BOC Edwards can report a successful installation of its new ERIX system at CNSE's Albany NanoTech complex, adding still another cutting-edge capability to a high-tech facility that is unparalleled in the academic environment."

As its name implies, ERIX ion exchange media is electrically regenerated, which adds no new chemicals to the HF treatment process. The concentrated effluent from ERIX (in excess of 1200 ppm) reduces the hydraulic load and chemical consumption of the precipitation process. ERIX recirculated water is available for reuse in scrubber and combustion quenching applications where higher flow rates can reduce downtime and maintenance costs-using recirculated water, this increased flow comes at a cost of only 10 percent new water.

Editor Background

BOC Edwards is a leading supplier of integrated solutions for the manufacture of microelectronics devices, including semiconductors and flat panel displays. Partnering with fabs, foundries and process tool manufacturers, BOC Edwards provides process-enabling subsystems that are supported by best-in-class operations and maintenance services for its global customer base.

Information on BOC Edwards can be found at www.bocedwards.com. E-mail inquires can be sent to [e-mail].