Thin Film Devices
Thin Film Devices (TFD) is a privately held Anaheim, California manufacturer that uses proprietary Ion Beam Sputtering to produce ultra-smooth transparent conductive oxide coatings (ITO, IZO, AZO, FTO) and related optical coatings for display, avionics, MEMS, microelectronics and photovoltaic customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersAnaheim, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Thin Film Devices does
Thin Film Devices (TFD) is a privately held, Anaheim, California–based specialty manufacturer of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and related optical coatings, founded by Saleem Shaikh in 1987 around his invention of I.M.ITO™, a multi-layer indium tin oxide stack for anti-reflection in displays. The company uses a proprietary Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) process, augmented by planar ion beam magnetron sputtering, to deposit ultra-smooth TCOs — ITO, IZO, AZO, FTO, IGZO and branded variants — for flat panel displays, touch panels, OLED, LCoS, MEMS, microelectronics and photovoltaic substrates, along with downstream products such as EMI/RFI/EMP shields, transparent heaters, broadband anti-reflection (BBAR) coatings, high-performance hot mirror filters and low-temperature ITO for plastic substrates. TFD complements its U.S. Anaheim facility (two Ulvac inline IBS machines, photo-etch line, and full metrology including ellipsometry, SEM, EDAX and AFM) with manufacturing partner relationships in Taiwan, Korea and China to scale from pre-production prototypes to mass production.
The company monetizes through quote-based custom coating orders and a stocked catalog of standard coated-glass combinations, selling directly to display, avionics, defense, MEMS and solar customers with its most differentiated features (I.M.ITO™, L.T.ITO™ and W.R.T.C.O.™) supported by ISO 9001 and multiple Mil-spec qualifications. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements involve multi-year custom manufacturing contracts with specifications defined per substrate, dimension, coating, resistivity and patterning requirement. TFD serves a horizontal customer base across multiple TCO use cases rather than a single vertical, and its U.S. footprint acts as the R&D and pre-production center while Asian partners handle mass production scaling for regional display and touch-panel customers.
Thin Film Devices firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Thin Film Devices
- Legal name
- Thin Film Devices Incorporated
- Website
- https://tfdinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Thin Film Devices (TFD) is a privately held Anaheim, California manufacturer that uses proprietary Ion Beam Sputtering to produce ultra-smooth transparent conductive oxide coatings (ITO, IZO, AZO, FTO) and related optical coatings for display, avionics, MEMS, microelectronics and photovoltaic customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Thin Film Devices industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Thin Film Optical Coatings
- NAICS
- Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Conductive/ESD & EMI-Shielding Compounds (IMANABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Thermal & EMI/EMC Interconnect Materials (Shielding, Gaskets, Grounding) (HDAHAOAL)
Keywords
Where Thin Film Devices is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Anaheim
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Thin Film Devices business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Thin Film Manufacturing: Custom manufacturing of thin film coatings for displays, microelectronics, MEMS, and photovoltaic applications. Revenue generated from production orders and R&D/pre-production prototyping services. Company offers both standard product catalog items and fully customized solutions.
- Standard Product Catalog: Stock products including I.T.O. BBAR, IMITO™ to air and epoxy, and other coated glass combinations maintained in inventory for quicker deliveries at competitive prices.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Manufacturing Quote |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Thin Film Devices product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Thin Film Devices (TFD) is a custom manufacturer of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin film coatings and related optical/electronic coated-glass products, produced via its proprietary Ion Beam Sputtering process. The company manufactures standard TCO coatings (I.T.O., I.Z.O., A.Z.O., F.T.O., W.R.T.C.O.™) as well as specialized stacks (I.M.ITO™, L.T.ITO™), EMI/RFI/EMP shields, transparent heaters, BBAR anti-reflection coatings, hot mirror filters, and patterned substrates for display, microelectronics, MEMS, photovoltaic, and avionics customers. Sales combine custom specification-driven production orders with a stocked catalog of standard coated glass products.
Product overview
Thin Film Devices (TFD) is a thin film innovation and production company offering a portfolio of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coatings and related optical/electronic products. The core product line includes I.T.O., I.Z.O., A.Z.O., F.T.O., and W.R.T.C.O.™ transparent conductors for displays, solar, and electronic applications. Specialized variants include I.M.ITO™ (index-matched anti-reflection coating stack) and L.T.ITO™ (low-temperature deposition for plastic substrates). Supporting products include EMI/RFI/EMP shielding solutions, transparent heaters, BBAR anti-reflection coatings, and hot mirror filters. TFD also provides photo-etch and patterning services for manufacturing precision-coated products. The company uses Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) and magnetron sputtering processes for coating deposition.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- I.M.ITO™: Index Matched Indium Tin Oxide™ - a proprietary multi-layer coating stack invented by TFD founder in 1987 to reduce reflections in displays
- W.R.T.C.O.™
- L.T.ITO™
- High Performance Hot Mirror (HPHM)
Products and services
- I.T.O. (Indium Tin Oxide) Primary transparent conductive oxide coating used in flat panel displays, LCD, OLED, LCoS, touch screens, P-caps, heaters, EMI shielding, circuits, MEMS, and solar applications; standard resistances 1–500 ohm/sq.
- I.Z.O. (Indium Zinc Oxide) Transparent conductor substitute for ITO in LCD market, with 91-9 mole percentage ratio; standard resistances 10–300 ohm/sq.
- A.Z.O. (Zinc Oxide with Aluminum) Transparent conductor with 2% mole percentage aluminum in zinc oxide for capacitive touch screens and high resistive applications; standard resistances 30–2000 ohm/sq.
- F.T.O. (Fluorine doped Tin Oxide) Most stable and durable transparent conductor produced by CVD process, used in plasma displays, low E architecture glass, and CIGS solar panels; standard resistances 7–30 ohm/sq.
- W.R.T.C.O.™ (Wide Range TCO) Custom mixed transparent conductive oxide coating for the 400–2500nm wavelength range with low resistance and high durability; standard resistances 10–50 ohm/sq.
- I.M.ITO™ (Index Matched Indium Tin Oxide) Proprietary multi-layer ITO coating stack that reduces internal reflections to 0.2–0.5% in TFT-LCD, Chroma Filters, EMI Shields, and Heaters, improving sunlight viewability and contrast.
- L.T.ITO™ (Low Temperature I.T.O.) ITO coating deposited at 30°C–60°C via Ion-Beam Sputtering for plastics, acrylics, polycarbonate, crystals, LCD color filters, PET, and polymers; resistivities 10–500 ohm/sq.
- EMI/RFI/EMP Shields I.T.O. and I.M.ITO™ based shielding solutions for flat-panel displays (TFT, Plasma, LCoS) providing antistatic (1000–5K ohm/sq), R.F.I. (500–50 ohm/sq), E.M.I. (20–5 ohm/sq), and E.M.P. (≤4 ohm/sq) shielding.
- Transparent Heaters I.M.ITO™ coated glass heaters for flat panel displays delivering 0.1–5 Watt/Sq. Inch power output for avionics, cameras, locomotives, and commercial displays.
- BBAR (Broadband Anti-Reflection) Anti-reflection coating offering standard BBAR (420–670nm), UV BBAR (375–630nm), and BBAR C-Band NIR (1250–1600nm) variants; standard BBAR achieves 0.25% average reflectance and ≥99.5% transmission.
- Hot Mirror Filters (HPHM) High Performance Hot Mirror coating produced by proprietary Ion Beam Sputtering process that rejects ≥80% of 1–3µm heat wavelengths with low scatter and stability to 450°C.
- Photo Etch and Patterning Service Photolithography patterning service for coating products with feature resolution as small as 2 microns on glass up to 370mm x 470mm and wafer substrates, producing sharp tapered edges without residual coating.
Quantifiable outcome
- ITO surface roughness of RMS ≤7Å at 1450Å thickness - unmatched by competition
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Thin Film Devices
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Thin Film Devices technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Thin Film Devices partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Thin Film Devices competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Indium Corporation: Major global supplier of indium-based materials including ITO sputtering targets, indium wire, and indium compounds. Comparable because Indium Corp serves the same TCO/display/electronics customer base as TFD and is a key upstream source/vendor relationship across the ITO value chain.
- Platypus Technologies: Specialty manufacturer of thin film coatings, surface chemistries, and functionalized substrates for biosensors, materials research, and electronics. Comparable to TFD as a small specialty thin-film deposition house focused on custom coatings for technical/niche applications.
- Reynard Corporation: US-based optical thin film coating manufacturer producing custom anti-reflection, hot mirror, cold mirror, bandpass, and EMI/RFI shielding coatings. Directly comparable to TFD on optical/IR coatings, hot mirrors (HPHM), and EMI shielding, with similar custom + catalog business model.
- Coresix Precision Glass: Specialty manufacturer of precision ITO-coated glass substrates and other thin-film coated substrates for display, touchscreen, and biomedical customers. Closest direct competitor in ITO/TCO coated substrates serving similar display, sensor, and R&D customers.
- MTI Corporation: Supplier of ITO coated glass/film substrates, battery R&D materials, and thin-film deposition consumables. Comparable to TFD on ITO coated substrates and serving overlapping R&D and prototyping customers in displays, photovoltaics, and electronics.
- EMF Corporation: US manufacturer of EMI/RFI shielding products, conductive coatings, and optically transparent conductive films for displays and electronics. Directly comparable to TFD on ITO-based EMI shielding for avionics, military, and industrial display applications.
Broad incumbents
- Abrisa Technologies (SCHOTT): Coated glass manufacturer (now part of SCHOTT) producing ITO-coated glass, anti-reflection coatings, EMI shielding, and optical filters at industrial scale. Comparable as a broader specialty coated-glass incumbent serving displays, defense, and industrial markets that overlap with TFD's niches.
- Corning Incorporated: Global leader in display glass substrates and specialty materials. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the display materials value chain where TFD also competes; relevant for understanding display industry dynamics, customer expectations, and captive coating trends affecting TFD's addressable share.
- AGC Inc. Major Japanese glass and chemicals group producing display substrates, TCO-coated glass, and architectural/automotive glass. Comparable as a broad incumbent in display materials and TCO glass where TFD competes in niche/prototying segments.
Regional players
- Geomatec Co., Ltd. Japanese thin film coating company specializing in ITO, optical filters, anti-reflection coatings, and transparent conductive films. Highly comparable technology base to TFD, but serves the Japan/Asia display and electronics market rather than competing head-to-head in TFD's US-centric accounts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Thin Film Devices social profiles
Digital presenceThin Film Devices compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Thin Film Devices financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Thin Film Devices leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Thin Film Devices funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Thin Film Devices M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Thin Film Devices
What does Thin Film Devices do?
Thin Film Devices (TFD) is a custom manufacturer of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin film coatings and related optical/electronic coated-glass products, produced via its proprietary Ion Beam Sputtering process. The company manufactures standard TCO coatings (I.T.O., I.Z.O., A.Z.O., F.T.O., W.R.T.C.O.™) as well as specialized stacks (I.M.ITO™, L.T.ITO™), EMI/RFI/EMP shields, transparent heaters, BBAR anti-reflection coatings, hot mirror filters, and patterned substrates for display, microelectronics, MEMS, photovoltaic, and avionics customers. Sales combine custom specification-driven production orders with a stocked catalog of standard coated glass products.
Is Thin Film Devices a public or private company?
Thin Film Devices is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Thin Film Devices founded?
Thin Film Devices was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Thin Film Devices based?
Thin Film Devices is headquartered in Anaheim, United States, in the North America region.
How does Thin Film Devices make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Custom Thin Film Manufacturing is the primary driver. The others are standard Product Catalog.
Who are Thin Film Devices's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Indium Corporation, Platypus Technologies, Reynard Corporation, Coresix Precision Glass, MTI Corporation and EMF Corporation. Broad incumbents are Abrisa Technologies (SCHOTT), Corning Incorporated and AGC Inc.. Geomatec Co., Ltd. is listed as a regional player.
Does Thin Film Devices have an API?
No public API is recorded for Thin Film Devices.
What industry is Thin Film Devices in?
Thin Film Devices's product category is Thin Film Optical Coatings. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANABAH, Conductive/ESD & EMI-Shielding Compounds, with a secondary code of HDAHAOAL, Thermal & EMI/EMC Interconnect Materials (Shielding, Gaskets, Grounding). Its NAICS code is 32551 and its SIC code is 2890.