Rockwood Press Release

Rockwood Acquires State-of-the-Art 300mm Wafer Reclaim Capability

PRINCETON, NJ (January 12, 2004) – Rockwood Specialties GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rockwood Specialties Group Inc. (“Rockwood”) recently completed the acquisition of ISILTEC (Innovative Silicon Technologies GmbH), a leading German wafer reclaim company specializing in 300mm reclaim including copper reclaim technology.

The acquisition enhances Rockwood’s wafer reclaim capabilities with the addition of ISILTEC’s state-of-the-art 300mm facilities for copper reclaim and for non-copper reclaim. The fully separated copper reclaim process allows ISILTEC to meet the requirements of the leading edge customers. This acquisition complements Rockwood’s existing reclaim activities and enables Rockwood to offer a complete range of reclaim services to the semiconductor manufacturing market. ISILTEC already supplies reclaim services to a leading European 300mm semiconductor wafer Fab and participates in major European research programs.

The 300mm polishing and cleaning technology used by ISILTEC is licensed from a leading silicon manufacturer, which ensures surface quality equal to that of virgin wafers. Furthermore, the company works in partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute, a leading research institute in Germany with world-class links into the microelectronics industry and best-in-class analytical capabilities.

“Rockwood is fully committed to the wafer reclaim industry, and our acquisition of ISILTEC, along with its world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies, is certainly evidence of this commitment,” states Seifi Ghasemi, Rockwood Chairman and CEO. “The acquisition further builds upon the investments we’ve recently made in our wafer reclaim facilities around the world, and it will serve as a platform for investments and expansion in the future, both in the U.S. and abroad.”

Rockwood recently completed a $7 million expansion at its Gréasque, France facility (high volume 200mm manufacturing), and the company also maintains a 300mm capable reclaim facility in Prescott, AZ, USA.

Rockwood, headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, USA, is a leading global specialty chemical company with sales of more than $800 million. The company focuses on niche segments of the specialty chemical market, including additives, specialty compounds, electronic chemicals, materials and services. Rockwood Specialties maintains operations in North America, Europe and Asia with a workforce of over 2,500 employees. For more information on Rockwood and its divisions, please visit www.rocksp.com