Air Products has supplied xenon since the 1960s for satellite programmes, space travel, propulsion agent for spacecraft and satellite thruster. We also supply to the semiconductor, lighting and medical markets.
Air Products understand purity. Xenon used in semiconductor processes needs to be very pure as any impurities will contaminate the silicon substrate or react with the process chemicals, such as fluorine, to produce poisonous and highly corrosive hydrogen fluoride (HF).
In aerospace, due to the sensitive nature of the electrodes, the xenon needs to be very low in oxygen and water content in order not to burn up the electrode. Air Products ultra-high purity xenon is specially designed for gamma-ray and X-ray spectroscopy detectors used to conduct fundamental research into the universe, and dark matter.