"We believe that this long-term deal with Nanophase is instrumental in growing our CMP slurry business," stated Nick Gutwein, president of Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, CMP Technologies. "Collaborating closely in developing products, we can ensure that we have the best of technology for our customers. Over the past few years we have developed a solid relationship that resulted in innovative slurry products for the STI market. So we are enthusiastic about continuing this alliance for years to come."

In another move to cement the working relationship, Rohm and Haas has spent $5 million on purchasing a 4.5 percent stake in Nanophase, the companies announced.