Q3 2009 / Semicon West 2009
Henry Grieco
Publisher
Specialty Gas Report
hank.grieco@specialtygasreport.com
Semicon West 2009 was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from July 14-16th and was again co-located with Intersolar North America. Both exhibits will again be at Moscone Center in 2010 from July 13-15th. In spite of the economy preliminary statistics indicate that there was a slight increase in visitors (excluding exhibitors) over last year’s number of just over 17,000.
Last year there were also about 17,000 exhibit personnel at the combined show,
but we expect that this number will be significantly lower due in part to some
exhibitors not attending as well as a reduction in booth space and staffing.
What this means to exhibitors is that there is a higher ratio of customers to
exhibitors. And that is a good thing! 
The more than 250 booths at the Intersolar North America
exhibition (about the same amount as last year) drew the most attention. The
aisles in Moscone West, where it was held, seemed to be always crowded. The
Semicon Show aisles held in the North and South sections of the Center, while
always busy, they did not seem to be as active. Some exhibitors had booths in
both places, and some of the exhibitors indicated to us that they would be
doing both shows next year.
Of particular interest to Specialty Gas Report readers were the new products and business relationships unveiled. Airgas showcased its relationships with CVD Equipment Corporation as well as with Stainless Design Concepts. Alcatel showed off its helium and N2/H2 leak detectors, Delta-F exhibited its NanoTrace oxygen and moisture sub part per billion analyzers, and Matheson-Trigas showcased its line of Pico-Trap purifiers for HCl and Amorphous Carbon Films.
Tiger Optics presented its new Prismatic analyzer that identifies low levels of a variety of impurities besides moisture, which they are well recognized for. A new entry, Power+Energy exhibited its Hydrogen purifier, rated to produce hydrogen at the Grade 9.0 (99.9999999%) level. Voltaix provided information on its semiconductor products including germane, trimethylsilane and Silcore™.
Henry Grieco
Henry ‘Hank’ Grieco, co-founder of Specialty Gas Report, has been a major participant in the specialty gas business for the past 40 years. Previously, he was general manager of special products for Airco; formed Special Gas Services, which brokered specialty gases throughout the world); and was one of the original founders of Special Gas Systems, which pioneered the development of specialty gas production systems designed for gas distributors. Contact Hank: hank.grieco@specialtygasreport.com
